Sense of Life
by Caya Strife
Summary: Breathing heavily, she took his hand into hers and squeezed it, probably stronger than intended.Finally, she found the courage to mouth those words she urgently needed to say.“Cloud… I… I’m… I’m pregnant!”[CloTi, COMPLETE]
1. Default Chapter

Insert title

Sense of life by Tifa_Lockheart_Nibelheim

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**Chapter 1: Uncertainty and Relief**

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Tifa Lockheart stumbled down the stairs of her new home. 

She, Cloud, Barret and the rest of the bunch had moved there right after they had rescued the world. Flying around with the Highwind for a couple of days, everybody had quickly realized they had to stay together, at least for the first time, till things would get back to normal. 

Tifa was very happy about this development, because she had always been the one to cheer everybody up, to care for everybody, and she was sure she couldn't live without her friends now. Not after all she had done for them… and they had done for her. 

She rubbed her eyes and yawned before she entered the kitchen, where she was greeted by her friends taking in their breakfast. 

Cloud looked up from his newspaper and gave her his cutest smile. 

Tifa smiled back. This was what she would have missed the most. Lately, their relationship had improved a lot. 

Smiling, Tifa remembered the day Cloud had confessed his feelings for her…

…It had been about a week after the group had saved the world. They had finally settled down in Midgar – well, what was still there of it – and though it had all still been new and unknown, things had been getting back to normal…

It was a wonderful evening, the party was again celebrating their triumph over Sephiroth and Meteor. With Cid, drunk like always, lying around on the floor, the others either already sleeping or having a loud conversation, Tifa went outside to get some fresh air before she would start cleaning up. 

She wasstanding on the front porch, staring at the stars which were shining as if they knew what was going to happen. 

Softly, the door behind Tifa opened and Cloud stepped beside her, his gaze directed up to the stars, just like Tifa's. 

"Incredibly beautiful", he said.

Tifa turned toward him, then, smiling, turned back to the stars. 

"Yes, they really are".

"…just like you." Cloud added, after hesitating a few moments.

Tifa blinked. Had Cloud really said those words? Was she probably dreaming?

She closed her eyes and opened them again, just to see Cloud was still there, now looking at her.

Was he waiting for her to reply? Tifa was so struck by those words that she didn't know what to say.

"You are always there for me, Tifa", he continued "when I feel bad, you just smile at me and everything in the world is right again. It's always been like that."

Tifa got more and more confused the more she heard. Did he actually care for her?

"I know I have never really thanked you for everything you've done for me, Teef. I just always took it for granted, I took you for granted…" Cloud took another long look at the stars, considering his next words, though he seemed to know what he wanted to tell her so dearly.

"Yet in the past few weeks, now that all the fighting is finally over, that the threat is gone, I had a lot of time to think about other things. I had time to sort out my feelings. Those feelings I kept hidden deep inside of me for so long, trying to suppress them…"

Tifa's mind was reeling.

What was this leading to? 

How come Cloud could finally talk about his feelings openly?

"I finally realized it, Tifa. Realized that I love you. That I have loved you from the very first time we met, and that my feelings have only grown stronger since then, even though I tried to suppress them."

He now looked her directly in the eyes, his sparkling blue eyes scanning her soul, longing for confirmation.

Tifa stared at him in total disbelief, her mind being barely unable to cope with the information, yet her heart was already reacting: tears started streaming down her cheeks, making their way unstopped.

"Y… You… you l…love me?" Tifa stuttered und took a step towards him, her hand brought up to her heart.

Cloud gently smiled at her and nodded approvingly.

"Oh Cloud", Tifa cried and literally fell into his arms, embracing him with all her might.

"I love you, too", she managed to say in between the sobs, releasing all the hurt and ache she had stored inside of her all those years.

Still smiling, yet his eyes glistening with fresh, unshed tears, Cloud took her head in his hands and brought her lips up to his.

The young couple finally shared it's first kiss, a kiss full of passion, of love, of suppressed emotions that were finally able to break free in this explosion of emotions.

Hesitantly, Tifa woke from her daydream of memories and dove back into the pleasures of the present.

Still smiling, she took her seat next to her love and they gently shared a long kiss.

Everybody around the table was grinning widely, but they were all happy for their friends who had, after such a long time, finally been able to admit their love for each other. And even though they hadn't announced it yet, they were all sure they would seal their love with a marriage and mostly likely a few kids.

Tifa sighed, grabbed the coffeepot and filled her cup with the hot, steaming drink.

"I hate it when I sleep through. Why didn't anybody wake me?" she asked, looking up from the cup, eventually gazing in the eyes of her love.

He just smiled back at her and simply stated: "Well, you were sleeping so peacefully, I just couldn't wake you."

Tifa curled her lips, yet she just could not be mad at him, especially when he showed his sheepish smile. It always made her laugh, no matter how down she was.

She sighed once again and started sipping her coffee.

"You want nothing else? It took me an eternity to prepare those pancakes!" Cloud tried.

Cid snorted in return.

"Yeah, and that's an understatement! If it hadn't been for Marlene, it would've taken him till at least Christmas and about 100 tons of flour!"

Again Cloud grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Every time Cloud felt embarrassed, he made that move, no matter how much unlike him it was. Even though Cloud had changed a lot, had become somewhat softer, as he did not have to pretend to be someone else anymore. He had finally been accepted for who he was, he had finally accepted himself actually.

After everybody had finished laughing or giggling, depending on who it was, Cloud looked back at Tifa questioningly.

Tifa just shook her head and smiled back.

"No, thanks. I'm not really hungry today. The coffee will be enough", yet as she registered Cloud's worried look, she added "Plus lunch will be in less than 2 hours, so I surely won't starve." 

"Yeah, guess you're right about that." Cloud stated and softly kissed her on the cheek, trying not to knock over the coffee. One hot shower a day was enough.

"So, any of you have plans for today?" Yuffie asked, curious as ever.

"Why you askin'? Something you wanna tell us, girl?" Cid replied, professionally preventing his cigarette from dropping out of his mouth.

The young girl grinned brightly as she answered.

"Well, it is not really anything that should be important to you, but **I have a date today!"**

Silence.

Nobody around the table said a word.

They just stared at the ninja as if she had just told them she had just met the reincarnation of Sephiroth while doing some shopping around the corner.

Red was the first one to regain his ability to speak and looked at the girl in a somewhat proud way. 

"Well, I appreciate that you finally found your mate."

Cid started laughing furiously, hardly being able to breath at all.

"That spoiled brat and 'finding a mate'? That's impossible! Don't cha think so? Hey Teef, what'd you say?"

Everybody turned around in order to listen to Tifa, who surely had some cheering words for Yuffie and would tell Cid not to judge about a girl that easily.

Yet Tifa remained quiet. She simply stared into her coffee cup, yet her eyes were closed.

"Teef", Cloud tried and softly touched her shoulder "Teef! You ok?"

He slightly shook her and Tifa slowly opened her eyes.

"Umm… well… I don't feel very well. I think I'm just gonna lye down for a bit."

Thus she rose from her chair and turned in the direction of the stairs. Yet Cloud stopped her in the middle of the motion, grabbing her wrist.

"You ok? Do you want me to come with you? Do you need anything?"

His face showed deep concern and worry. Now that he had finally found the love of his life and confessed his feelings to her, he was not going to lose her ever again to nobody and nothing.

But Tifa just shook her head and half-smiled.

"No, really. I'm ok. It's probably just a cold or a flu or something like that. Don't worry."

After gently kissing him on the lips, she turned around and made her way up the stairs.

Cloud returned to his place at the table, meeting reassuring smiles.

"Hey Cloud, calm down. After all the tension lately, everybody should be allowed his or her 'day off'."

Cid tried to reassure his young friend, as he himself had been suffering from a strong headache lately. Although he was not really sure whether it was form the tension or more likely from the grave consume of alcohol.

Yet Barret's face was only a façade as his gaze followed the young woman ascending the stairs, not showing his inner turmoil. Surely had he noticed that Tifa was not doing well lately, and he was seriously concerned about her.

Later, he told himself, he would talk to her, and tell her to visit a doctor. Even if it were just a simple flu, one should not handle his health unconsciously. 

***

Tifa sighed as she sat down on the bed she had left just a few minutes ago. Carefully, she lay down, trying not to let the dizziness overwhelm her.

What's wrong with me? she questioned herself. What's going on?

Even though she had told Cloud she might probably be suffering from a flu or any other similar illness, she herself did not believe in it. It was more like an excuse until she was sure of what might be wrong with her.

Dizziness, sleepiness, morning nausea… Tifa was too experienced a woman not to have a suspicion about what might be wrong. 

Well, not exactly wrong, but… different.

If only there were somebody she could talk to.

Aeris…

It was especially in moments like these that she missed her friend. Sure, one might say they had just been rivals for the love of Cloud, yet still Tifa had never hated Aeris. She might have been sad that Cloud loved her that much, but she had always wanted what was best for Cloud. Plus Aeris had always been a friend to her, somebody that needn't be cheered up, but that pulled her out of depressions. She had been the only other woman that she could talk to about… well… women's stuff.

As if on cue, a knocking sounded from the door, followed by a small voice.

"Hey, Teef, can I come in?"

Tifa smiled. Yuffie. Probably not as good for a conversation as Aeris, but at least not one of the guys.

"Yeah, sure, come in", Tifa answered, pushing herself into a sitting position with a deep sigh.

The young ninja perked inside before entering the room, and, as she had made sure that it was ok to come in, she quickly slipped through the door opening, as if afraid that somebody might watch her.

Yuffie looked at her with an odd expression showing on her face.

"Umm… Tifa…", she started, sort of nervous, not sure whether she did the right thing, yet being too curious not to do it.

Tifa smiled at her reassuringly and gestured for her to go on with whatever she wanted to tell or ask her.

"Yeah… well… I kinda noticed… you know… the… state you're in lately and I … umm wanted to make sure whether… you know…"

Yuffie tried, rubbing her knuckles nervously, which was a rare sight with the young girl, as she was normally over-self-confident, and thus did not question anything she did.

Yet to Tifa it was clear what she was about to ask.

"Ummm… I just wanted to know whether you… you know… you are… ummm…"

It seemed to be pretty embarrassing for the young girl to raise a topic like that.

"You wanted to know whether I'm pregnant, right?" Tifa asked, yet it was more a statement than a question, to ease the nervousness Yuffie was suffering from.

Yuffie exhaled visibly, nodding hesitantly to confirm what her friend had just said.

"Well… are you? I mean… you don't have to tell me if you don't wanna…"

Tifa giggled softly, yet the tension inside of her seemed to drive her crazy. She dearly wanted to tell somebody, and it actually helped her a lot to confess to her young friend.

Tifa sighed as she rose her gaze to the ceiling.

"I think I might be… that was my first guess, too."

Yuffie stepped closer to her friend and sat down next to her on the bed.

"You might be? So you didn't do a test yet, huh?"

Tifa shook her head in denial.

"No, not yet. It's just that… well, Cloud tells me to stay home to get rest, so I can't go into town."

Yuffie smiled at her friend, dearly wanting to help her, even though it might seem odd to her.

"Well, if you want to, I can get you a test when coming back from my date. You won't have to leave the house and nobody will notice until you want them to."

Tifa smiled back at Yuffie, pulling her into a friendly hug.

"Oh, thanks. That would be great."

"Hey, no problem", Yuffie retorted, grinning "That's what friends are for, right?"

Waving goodbye at her friend, she left the room to get ready for her date and left Tifa sitting on the bed alone.

The young woman smiled in the direction her friend had just left. A great deal of the tension that had made her uneasy all the time had been taken from her.

Yet there were still questions that needed to be answered, even though she feared what their answers might be.

***

Cloud quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and walked out into the corridor. With a concerned frown, he made his way down the stairs into the living room.

Hearing his friend come, Barret turned his large head around and suspiciously eyed him.

"How's she doin?" he asked, his voice as rough as always.

Cloud fell down in an armchair close to the fireplace – the place that had become his favorite over the time – and rested his head on his right arm.

"She says she'll be fine. She's in bed now, I told her to take a rest."

Barret nodded thoughtfully, noticing the concern that wavered in the young man's voice.

"I just don't know what's wrong with her."

"Yeah, I know what you're talking 'bout. Well, I'd suggest that if she isn't feeling any better by the end of the week, you should just take her to the doc. That's the safest way." Barret suggested, sounding experienced, probably because of his little daughter Marlene whom he had to deal with when Tifa wasn't around.

Cloud sighed once more, staring at the flames. His mind was in a daze, his heart torn with worry and concern about his love. He would do everything if it helped her recover, if it made her feel better in any way. 

Yet nothing he did seemed to help. No matter how much he tried, her state did not improve. 

All he could do right now was hope that she wouldn't get worse. 

"Hey, Cloud, you should get some rest yourself. You look pretty worn out, too."

Cloud's lips curved a half-smile as he ran his fingers through his spiky hair.

"I'm gonna get some rest soon enough. Till then, I guess coffee should do it", he sighed and rose from the armchair, stretching his aching muscles.

"It's up to you, man, but just don't overestimate your strength." Barret retorted, in the same second grinning about his own comment; telling the probably strongest man on earth, the one who had saved the planet, not to overestimate his strength… 

Ironic… Barret thought to himself.

Yet Cloud in return only gave him a slight grin, while making his way to the kitchen.

There, he grabbed a cup and, discovering that the coffeepot was empty, started to fumble with the coffeemaker.

"You know he's right, Cloud." Came a soft, purring voice from the other end of the kitchen, near the window.

Red XIII, or Nanaki – which he preferred – rested with his head on his front paws, watching the scenery, and obviously overhearing the small conversation between Cloud and Barret. 

Cloud gave up his small fight with the coffeemaker and sighed.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that, well… she's been there for me all the time, no matter how she felt, no matter how worn out she was. And this time she needs me, and I'm not gonna leave her or anything just because I'm tired. **I**'ll help **her** recover this time."

Cloud's voice sounded decided. Yet he did not only consider it his moral duty to do so; he loved her with all his heart, and did not want to lose her anyhow. 

"I totally understand you, believe me. I just advise you to take care of yourself as well. Don't take it too lightly."

Once again, Cloud sighed and closed his eyes.

If he only knew what was wrong with her…

If only she got better…

***

Yuffie slipped through the door opening quickly and sneaked over to the stairs as quietly as she could. 

"Ah, the brat's back!"

The young girl jerked up uncontrollably, her heart nearly missing a beat.

"Back from your date already?" Cid snickered. 

Yuffie inwardly exhaled. 

Why did she feel like she had been caught in the act?

"Umm… yeah."

Without giving any more details, she quickly walked over to the stairs, completely ignoring Cid, her heart racing inside her chest.

The pilot only grunted and shook his head.

"That kid's something… else…"

***

Tifa slightly tensed up as she heard the footsteps approaching her room. The steps' volume increased, and, soon, the door opened and the young ninja entered, obviously as nervous and excited as she herself.

Tifa raised her eyebrows and shot her friend a questioning look.

Understanding the unspoken question, Yuffie started to fumble in her small bag, finally pulled out a small, rectangular box and held it at arms length, offering it to her friend.

Even though her hands were shaking, Tifa took the small box and eyed it nervously, anxiously even.

"You know… I'm not quite sure about this…" Tifa said, her voice quivery.

Yuffie walked over to her, looking her friend directly in the eyes, yet only after eyeing the test for an instance.

"Believe me, I'm as nervous about this as you. But you wanna be sure about this, don't you? No more guessing, right?"

Tifa was surprised how grown up the girl sounded. Seemingly, she could be serious and dependable, if the situation recommended it. Which obviously wasn't the fact very often.

Exhaling deeply, Tifa took one last look at the box and walked over to the bathroom, which could only be reached through the bedroom.

Yet she stopped once more, glancing back at her friend.

Yuffie gave her a reassuring smile and gestured her to go on.

Thus, Tifa disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

A couple of minutes later, the dark haired young woman exited the bathroom, the small tube kept in a strong grip, the arm just hanging limp at her side.

Her face was even paler than usual, expressionless.

"So…?" Yuffie started, without continuing the question at all, knowing Tifa could read her thoughts right in that moment.

Her facial expression did not change, the arm remained limp at her side, simply her head moved slowly up and down.

"Really??" Yuffie half-screamed. 

Realizing the volume she had applied, she quickly put her hand over her mouth and snickered.

"Really?", she repeated, a lot quieter that time, nearly whispering. "That's great, Tif! You and Cloud are gonna have a baby! Awwww… Congratulations!!" 

The girl could not condemn her joy anymore and ran over to her friend, hugging her tight, yet being careful enough not to hurt her.

A single tear running down her cheek, Tifa seemed to be melting finally.

The news – even though she had partially expected them – had shocked her. Deeply.

It took her some time to realize what was happening, what was happening to her.

Slowly but steadily, the tears were running down her cheeks now, yet it were not tears of pure joy.

Yuffie finally let go of her friend and eyed her curiously. 

"What is it, Tif? Are you ok?"

Tifa forced herself to smile, even though she was not in the mood to do so.

"Ya… I am. I guess I'm just… somewhat… overwhelmed…"

Obviously accepting the explanation, Yuffie gave Tifa another short hug and walked back to give her some time for herself.

"Well… I guess you wanna be alone now", the teenage girl said, smiling brightly and rushed over to the door.

Yet before finally exiting, she looked back at Tifa once more, grinning happily.

"I'm just soooo glad for the two of you! Having a baby… awwww… I bet Cloud's gonna be proud like hell when you tell him!"

Thus, she left and shut the door behind her.

Tifa simply let herself fall down onto the big bed she and Cloud shared and let out a sigh, trying to prevent the tears from breaking all barriers. Nevertheless, it seemed to be impossible; just a few minutes later, the pillow was soaked wet, covered with the salty embodiments of Tifa's emotions.

How dearly did she wish she could just be happy like Yuffie and look forward to having her child. Her's and Cloud's. To have her deepest wish fulfilled. 

Yet she was afraid, afraid of the consequences.

There were just too many uncertainties. Too many to just be happy.

Finally, Tifa gave up all resistance and started sobbing soundly, not minding if anybody heard her.

For once in her life, she did not care if the others might consider her weak.

For once in her life, she did care about her own feelings in the first place.

***

Cloud reentered the house, returning from one of his and Tifa's favorite places around, intending to check on her once again.

With dinner time drawing closer, a smell was expanding in the whole house, and loud noises could be made out from the kitchen. Yuffie was seemingly in a pretty good mood and consequently having another fight with Cid. Yet whether it was about her date or just the usual stuff Cloud could not find out.

And he did not really care about it either.

Hurriedly, he made his way up the stairs.

Upon taking the last step, he suddenly heard faint sobs coming from the direction of his and Tifa's bedroom.

Alarmed, Cloud dashed along the corridor and literally slammed into the room.

Tifa, still lying on the bed, looked up at him. Realizing who it was, she tried to hide her face from him, tried to hide her eyes glowing red from crying.

Cloud rushed to her side and immediately embraced his love protectively, decided to keep her safe from any harm that might be done to her.

Gently, he brought his hand up to her cheek and caressed it with his fingertips.

"What is it, Tifa? You know, whatever it is, you can tell me…" Cloud's voice sounded deeply concerned, probably as much as his facial expression.

"I… I'm…", Tifa tried, however, the tears were strong and another sob escaped her throat. 

Cloud soothingly rubbed her back, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"Just take your time. We have no need to hurry."

Crying hard, she leaned onto his shoulder, searching for the strength she desperately needed.

After a few minutes, the sobbing had quieted down enough for Tifa to attempt another try. 

Breathing heavily, she took his hand into hers and squeezed it, probably stronger than intended.

Finally, she found the courage to mouth those words she urgently needed to say.

"Cloud… I… I'm… I'm pregnant!"

Not even waiting for his reaction, Tifa was overwhelmed by her emotions again and pressed her face into his chest, frantically searching for comfort.

Cloud was most obviously taken aback by the news. Sure, he had imagined a lot of things she could tell him, but them… having a baby, it was … great!

"But… Tifa… That's great news! There's no need to cry!" he tried soothingly, sure that what he said was the truth.

"No… Cloud… There… there is…" she managed to press out in between the sobs, breaking the hug to look him in the eyes.

Cloud eyed her curiously, unbelieving, not understanding what she was talking about.

"But… What is there to cry about? We love each other… both of us want the baby! We talked about that before!"

Tifa simply shook her head, her eyes stinging with the pain of tears constantly breaking free. 

"Ya, but that's not it! Have you never thought of it before?"

Yet it was only another riddle Cloud was not able to solve, consequently he waited for her to go on.

While speaking, she wildly gestured with her arms, emphasizing her exclamations.

"You know, back then in Mideel, in the Lifestream… You had been suffering from that Mako-poisoning before… even before both of us fell into the Lifestream that had broken through the surface. Later, we recovered, both of us, feeling ok, yet the doctors said that there were still an extremely high amount of Mako inside of both of us. They said that it would be ok, that it didn't seem to affect our systems… but…", Tifa took a short pause to wipe away some of the flowing tears.

"But… well… when I asked them if it could… you know…", she lowered her gaze, oddly being embarrassed because of admitting she had asked that question "well… if I could still have children… and whether they would be affected… they… they said they didn't know… but… you know.… they… they said they couldn't exclude the possibility…"

Those last words, finally telling someone, cost her all of her strength, and she totally broke down in the arms of a startled Cloud. 

Realization finally struck him.

But, why hadn't she told him before, when they were talking about having kids? Probably she just hadn't wanted to upset him, protect him from any worries or concern, like it was her nature.

Thinking about what Tifa had just told him, the idea frightened him to the bone. He couldn't bear the thought that they might lose the child they had always wished for, the one to eternally seal their love.

Suppressing his own emotions from overtaking him, he shut his eyes close and hugged his love tighter.

"Don't worry about it, Teef. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the doctor and he'll tell us that everything will be alright, ok?" he asked, still Tifa only answered with a slight nod.

"I'm sure about that. I won't let anything happen to you or our baby ever."

This time, it was him who had to be strong. He had to support her, help her in any way possible. 

That night, holding his crying love in his arms, Cloud made an oath to himself.

An oath that nothing would ever tear them apart. 

Him, his Tifa and… and their child.

***

Tifa held her lover's hand tight, while the two of them were waiting for being led to the doctor. 

Her eyes were getting smaller each minute, due to the lack of sleep the night before. Only after hours of sobbing into his chest, she had finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep, just to wake up again early in the morning.

Since then, she had been so nervous, that Cloud feared she would collapse or have a nervous breakdown. 

All he could do was tell her that everything was going to be ok, and be at her side all the time.

The two of them had decided not to tell anybody about Tifa's pregnancy until they were sure that the baby would not be affected by the mako poisoning or anything else that could harm it. They just didn't want to make false hopes, and neither of them would be able to bear it.

"Miss Lockheart?" the young assistance asked, smiling at Tifa. "The doctor would like to see you now."

Tifa shot Cloud a most nervous glance, in return, he squeezed her hand reassuringly and they got up to follow the woman.

The doctor was a sympathetic looking man in the late forties who got up immediately to shake each Tifa's and Cloud's hands, greeting them politely.

"Well, Miss Lockheart, first I'd like to do a few tests on you whether you are pregnant and how much along you are. Ensuing, I will do a couple of poison tests and analysis to check if everything is going the way it should be." He explained, after having Tifa express what she was worrying about.

After a couple of minutes, the young woman left the examination room and sat down next to Cloud.

He soothingly placed an arm around her, spending her consolation. 

Tifa's mind was reeling with nervousness, her knees shaking hard enough to make it difficult for her to stand on her own feet. Even her fingers could only be kept quiet through being entwined in those of her love. She would go crazy if took any longer to get the results. The waiting was unbearable.

A few minutes later, the doctor returned, a thin folder in his hands, smiling.

"Well, Miss Lockheart", he started, still smiling at the young couple. "The test confirmed that you are definitely pregnant, about two months along, I'd say."

Although the news should be happy, Tifa even tensed up inside, squeezing Cloud's hand a little stronger.

"And… what about the Mako poising? Will it affect the baby?"

The doctor shook his head and smiled at Cloud, then directed his gaze to Tifa. 

"Miss, I can assure you that everything is right with you, and as well with your baby. I see no possible way in which the Mako energy in both of you could affect your child."

Tifa's facial expression changed within split-seconds: from overwhelming nervousness, to questioning to pure, relieved joy. 

Finally freed from all uncertainties and worries, she let out a cry of relief and threw herself into the arms of her love.

Cloud buried his face in Tifa's head, sharing her joy and happiness.

The doctor carefully cleared his throat, trying to arouse attention. 

"Well, my congratulations. If you wish, we could now set the date for your next appointment, when you could as well have your first ultrasound."

Tifa nodded in agreement, starting a small conversation with the doctor, about the do- and do-nots during her pregnancy.

Even though there were lots of rules she would have to follow, lots of things she would not be able to do anymore, it was surely worth it. 

Finally having hers and Cloud's baby.

No more uncertainties.

***

"Oh hey, love-bees. Finally back, huh?" Cid shouted in the direction of the door as he heard the voices of Cloud and Tifa. Seems like it wasn't anything serious, since Tif's already feeling much better obviously. 

Yuffie, sitting on the couch, playing with her shuriken, had a hard time suppressing the grin that was growing on her face. For the curious and pretty talkative girl it was nearly impossible to contain the news. However, now Cloud and Tifa obviously had confirmation, she wouldn't have to wait much longer. 

The grumpy pilot looked over at Yuffie, her favorite opponent for any kinds of fights and shot her a questioning look.

"So you know anything, kid, huh? How come they told you? C'mon, talk!" he tried, demanding.

"Nope", Yuffie retorted, grinning, shaking her head, seemingly savoring the chance to mock her older 'friend'. "I promised Tifa I wouldn't." 

"………"


	2. end of 1 and beginning of 2

***

"Why not let me help you?" the young girl offered, smiling at Tifa, who was just about to get all the food onto the table.

She just smiled in return, nodding thankfully as she went back to take her place at the table. She surely did not like to be treated like she desperately needed help and could not do things on her own, yet in that very moment she was far too excited to even think about that.

She was excited about the way her friends would react to the news she and Cloud would present to them now. Sure, her friends would most likely take the news pretty good, but Tifa could not wait for the expressions on their faces when they would tell them.

Smiling, almost grinning, she sat down next to Cloud and leaned in to kiss him lovingly on the lips, not taking her eyes off her love. Neither did he.

Barret commented his friend's behavior with a frown on his dark forehead. 

"What's up with ya two? Ya seem pretty strange today. And, by the way", he added questioningly, "What did the doc say?"

"Yeah", Cid added, hardly being able to resist the wonderfully smelling food Yuffie put onto the table. "You seem a lot better since that appointment."

The young couple looked at each other, Tifa nodding at her love, a slight blush on her face, gesturing for him to tell the news.

The bunch followed Tifa's gaze and stared at Cloud, expectantly. 

He carefully cleared his throat, even though he already had everyone's attention and straightened. 

"Well", he began slowly, taking his love's hand, "Tifa and I got something to tell ya…"

Yuffie suddenly started giggling furiously, and thus attracted everybody's attention. Cid shot her a menacing look, obviously as much dying to know what was going on as Yuffie was dying to tell anyone about it. The young girl just shrugged and looked over at Cloud, giving him the chance to go on.

"Well… Teef and I, we're… we're gonna have a baby…" he voiced, pride showing on his face, lighting up his features as he glanced over at Tifa and kissed her softly on the lips.

If it hadn't been for Yuffie laughing and clapping crazily, there would have been a profound silence.

It took everybody some time to understand what was going on, to cope with the news.

Suddenly, they all started talking at once, congratulating the couple, patting Cloud on the back, hugging Tifa.

"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. We all knew." Yuffie said, a grin widening all over her face, simply stopping because of her ears.

The others nodded approvingly, they all had known, for sure, since the first day the two of them had met.

"Hey! 's that wedding bells I hear ringing?" Cid grinned, loving to tease people, another fact everybody was aware of.

Tifa giggled in return, sticking out her tongue at her friend.

"Heh, how about you talking to Shera then? I think there's lots of stuff you two gotta sort out!" she retorted.

Cid simply grimaced. Sure, he did like to tease people, but he absolutely hated to be the one being teased.

Yet obviously, it was just what everybody else was thinking, so they all joined in Tifa's laughter, until even Cid could not take it anymore and cracked up.

This was most definitely a great day. For all of them.

**Chapter 2: Final insights**

"Hey buddy", Cloud greeted his smoking friend, leaning himself onto the frame of the front porch. The late night was chilly and brought slight goosebumps to his bare arms.

Cid just nodded in reply, watching the smoke of his cigarette rise up to the starlit sky.

Slowly, he sighed and placed the cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

"You know, I've kinda… been thinkin about what Tif said…" he said with his rough voice. "y'know, what she said bout Shera…"

Cloud frowned and immediately shot Cid a surprised look.

Could the grumpy old pilot have noticed what was going on around him?

Could he, for once, have put his dreams and thoughts about planes and rockets aside and realize that there were still human beings on earth?

Cid gave a small laugh at Cloud's expression, understandingly.

"Sounds quite strange, comin from me, huh?"

The younger man joined in the laughter.

"Oh ya, definitely!"

Cid took another look at his cigarette, obviously trying to focus his thoughts to express just what he was feeling. 

"I guess there's really lots of things me and Shera gotta sort out. I… I know I have never shown it but I definitely owe her one…" he made a small pause and blew out a cloud of gray smoke into the pure, chilly air of the night. 

"I think I really… need her. I don't know why I didn't realize it before… maybe I just ignored it…"

Cloud's eyebrows shot up, incredulously.

It surprised him that Cid had finally obtained the insight to realize what was going on between him and his assistant, that he did not try to disguise his feelings any longer.

"Ya, I guess I pretty much understand you…" Cloud replied.

It had been similar with Cloud's own feelings for Tifa. It had taken him a long time to realize that he could easily have what he had longed for all through his childhood and youth, and, with a great amount of courage, he had finally taken the step that had changed his whole life in the most positive way ever possible.

Now he did not even want to think about what might have happened if he had not dared making the deciding action.

Looking over at his friend, he could see that his mind was still disturbed, undecided about what to make out of the revelation he got.

"You should just do it. Don't think about it too much, just do it." Cloud encouraged his older friend. "Don't hesitate, or you won't be able to do it."

Even though Cloud had never been the cheering type, at least not during their search for Sephiroth, this was one of the very few occasions that he felt he needed to take on that character trait.

"Ya, thanks, pal. Shera's done a whole lot for me, and she really deserves a good life. I mean, hell! She's been able to cope with all my thickheadedness an constant swearing!"

That sentence earned a chuckle from Cloud who was still sort of surprised by Cid's final insights. Maybe a little talk with his friends was all it had ever needed.

"Okay!" Cid half-shouted and pushed himself off the frame, putting his cigarette back into the corner of his mouth, skillfully talking meanwhile nevertheless. "Then I'm gonna do it! Right now! I'm gonna take that &$§%)( plane and get there as fast as lightning!"

Thus, he grinned, spun around on his heel and, determinedly, marched back into the house to most likely get a few things packed up.

Cloud commented the scene with a small laugh and followed Cid inside.

Now this was most definitely a day he would have to mark in his calendar.

The grump, stubborn pilot had finally accepted the fact that even he himself had feelings and that it would be better to just let them out.

No matter what.

***

Tifa stood in front of the full length mirror in her and Cloud's bedroom and closely studied her reflection on the shiny surface.

Slowly, carefully even, she ran her hands over her flat stomach and delicately traced the area that would soon swell to spend room for her unborn baby.

Even though she was not far along enough to show yet, she could feel that there was something inside of her, growing every day, every second even, making her feel happier and more complete than ever before in her entire life.

With a sigh, she rested both her hands on her stomach and smiled at her reflection. Soon, her appearance would change, even though not very gravely, yet in a way she would not want to miss.

With a dreamy look in her eyes, her imagination took over.

"Incredibly beautiful", she heard a voice from behind her, immediately recognizing it as the one that allowed her love to voice his thoughts.

Smiling, she turned her head towards him, remembering the first time he had said those words, the first time he had said that he loved her.

Cloud approached her slowly and put his arms around her waist, softly resting his hands on her stomach, right beside hers. 

"Dreaming, huh?" he asked, gazing at their reflection in the mirror, tracing her stomach area carefully with his fingertips.

Tifa nodded in reply and sighed.

"Ya", her gaze focused on her reflection. "In a few weeks from now, you know, it'll be starting to show."

Cloud frowned, not knowing what she was about to tell him, as he saw no apparent problem in that fact. It was just normal.

After a short, quiet pause, she sighed, yet smiled at the same time.

"I bet the news will be reporting about it immediately. Surely there won't be a single news show without us on it."

With a chuckle on his lips, Cloud kissed her softly on the forehead. She was definitely right about that. Even though none of them had wanted to be regarded as a hero and thus arouse public attention, they had been on the news quite often after they had defeated Sephiroth. Even when they had moved into their house in Kalm, the news had made a short notice about that. Yet, luckily, they left them be most of the time, respecting their privacy as far as possible.

"Well, it's a happy occasion, most happy indeed, so I guess there's nothing bad about that."

"Yeah, you're right", Tifa replied and turned her head to kiss him back, then redirected her gaze at the mirror.

If she was happy, why not show everybody?

Now, finally, she had almost everything she had ever longed for, and was happier than she had ever been before, she wanted to show it to the whole wide world. 

Wanted to share her happiness with every single person on the entire planet.

As soon as she would be read to do so.

***

Having one of his many occasional fights with the coffeemaker, Cloud was busy trying to prepare breakfast that morning. Ever since he had learned about Tifa's pregnancy, he had been doing most of the work she had done usually, yet not because she had asked him to, but simply because he wanted to. 

While she was having a – more or less yet – hard time having their child, he considered it to be at least a small relief he could give her. 

Anything to help her, he thought.

Cloud smiled quietly and once again savored the silence which lay on their home. Now that Cid was in Rocket Town with Shera, the last month had been really quiet, without much fights and even just a small amount of swearing. Even Barret had reduced his now that Marlene was back from a summer camp that had been organized for all the children after the Meteor incident, just to give the kids the feelings that everything was now okay. Although it had been hard for the caring father to give away his daughter, even if it was just for a few weeks, he had finally given in to Tifa's talk that it was best for Marlene to be with some other kids and have some carefree time. 

Finally, the world seemed to be in order, just the way it was supposed to be.

"Oh no, not these, too!" Cloud heard from upstairs.

Well, at least almost that way.

Cloud half grinned as he put down the coffeemaker and made his way upstairs to his and Tifa's bedroom.

And there she was, just like he had expected, in front of the full length mirror, tugging at her jeans, trying to make them fit over her swollen belly. 

She looked desperate, almost like a small child that would start crying any minute because it had lost its favorite toy.

Cloud smiled and walked up to her, softly caressing her face.

"What is it, Teef? Don't fit?"

Tifa shook her head in reply, and her expression even sunk.

"No, they won't. And they're actually the biggest pair I've got!"

She sighed and, in a most ill-humored way, dropped the jeans to the ground and put her hands to her hips, shooting the mirror a striking look.

Cloud tried to suppress a chuckle as he embraced his love from behind.

Once more, like quite often lately, they were standing in front of the mirror together, observing how their child grew day by day.

Softly, Cloud caressed her swollen stomach comfortingly, trying to cheer Tifa up. 

"I'm somewhat big for three months, don't you think? The doc said it would start to show around the third month, but that much?" she asked, a bit of worry swaying in her voice. 

Cloud smiled at her in the mirror and rested his cheek on her shoulder.

"I think it's okay, really. Anyway, if it really worries you, then just ask the Doc about it this afternoon at the appointment."

Now Tifa smiled, even though she was not persuaded by his words, she really appreciated his consolation and felt at least a little better.

Turning around, she kissed him softly on the lips and broke their embrace. Taking a short glance at the cupboard, she pulled out a knee-long black skirt and pulled it up her long pale legs. 

She shot a more or less content look at the mirror and then turned around to Cloud.

"Okay, I guess this'll have to do."

***

"Am I right that this is your first ultrasound, Ms Lockheart?"

Tifa nodded in reply at the doctor as she lay down and pulled up her shirt to expose her swollen belly.

While the doctor was adjusting some instruments, Cloud took his place at Tifa's side and softly grasped her hand reassuringly. She was a little nervous and excited, probably even a bit embarrassed because of the position she was in.

The doctor turned around to face his patient, holding a tube filled with gel in his hands which were protected by thin gloves. Slowly, he unscrewed the tube and held it over Tifa's exposed belly.

"This is going to be a bit cold."

Thus, he carefully poured gel out of the tube as long as it covered the whole area of her belly which was to be examined. 

Tifa winced and increased her pressure on Cloud's hand.

"A bit cold?" she asked with an almost pained expression on her face.

In that very moment once again, Cloud was very glad that he was not in Tifa's position. He even felt pity for her. Yet once again, admired her for her strength and stamina.

The doctor smiled at her fatherly. Many times had he done this already, still it were almost always the same feelings and reactions, yet he enjoyed it every time, trying to give the young parents, especially the mothers, as much reassurance as they needed to cope with the totally new and unfamiliar situation and its consequences. 

Then, he grabbed for rather large metallic object and gently ran it across Tifa's belly, applying a slight pressure. 

Tifa turned her gaze from her belly to the black and white screen and excitedly watched as almost unrecognizable pictures appeared, apparently showing the inside of Tifa's stomach area now.

Still searching for the best view, the doctor ran the object across the area while staring intently at the screen.

Cloud's gaze jumped from his love to the monitor, back and forth, extremely excited and nervous. 

Suddenly, a smile appeared on the doctor's face. Apparently, he had found what he had been looking for. 

"See, there, in the upper left corner, you can see its feet, then", he traced a faint white line on the monitor with his index finger "when you follow the spine, you see the small head right here", he pointed to a bigger, gray area in the lower right corner.

Tifa let out a gasp as a few tears of joy formed in her eyes. Smiling, she looked over at Cloud, who was even more amazed at what was happening in that very moment. 

"Oh", they heard the doctor and immediately turned back towards him, anxious of what he might reveal. "And here, partially hidden behind this head, is a second one."

In a most excited way, he changed the angle of his view and took a closer look.

Immediately, worry shot through Cloud's veins, not to mention that Tifa extremely intensified her pressure on Cloud's hand.

"W… What do you mean?" he pressed out. "Is anything wrong?"

He looked down at Tifa who had fresh tears glistening in her eyes, fright showing on her face.

The doctor chuckled softly before he replied.

"Oh no, please, don't worry. Nothing is wrong, except for the fact that you", he glanced at Tifa reassuringly "are not having one child, but two."

Cloud looked stunned, as did Tifa. She slowly brought her free hand up to her chest.

"Do you mean that… ?"

Smiling, the doctor nodded in reply.

"Yes. Ms Lockheart, Mr. Strife, you're having twins."

Tifa gasped once more, and, overjoyed, shot a glance at Cloud, who still seemed to be stunned, totally taken aback by all the news. 

Laughing, she carefully pulled him down and kissed him lovingly on the lips, being anxious not to change her position, which would destroy the image.

Obviously, Cloud was finally beginning to understand what was going on, as his face lit up and his features softened as the information sunk in.

The doctor watched the scenery with a kind smile.

"Do you want a printed copy of it?"

Tifa simply nodded, smiling brightly. 

This was it finally.

This was the moment that Tifa became fully aware of what was happening.

That she became fully aware that it was not just a realistic wonderful dream, but wonderful reality. 

***


	3. some more of chapter 2

When Cloud and Tifa returned home, they were already awaited by little Marlene who was eager to know what the doctor had told them. Ever since she had come back from the children's camp and Tifa had explained that she and Cloud were having a baby that she would be able to baby-sit soon, she had been most excited about everything, always wanting to know what was going on. And, most of all, how long she would have to wait until the baby was there.  
  
Right next to Marlene was Yuffie, who was about as excited and curious as the little girl. As soon as Tifa had set a foot inside the house, the two girls were right at her ankle, shooting her questioning looks.  
  
Cloud chuckled as he stepped inside behind Tifa and put his arms around her waist onto her belly.  
  
"So.? 's everything okay? How does the baby look? What gender is it? Do you have a picture?" Yuffie inhaled deeply to regain some oxygen, obviously satisfied with her questions, now awaiting the answers.  
  
Tifa giggled in response.  
  
"Ya, everything's okay, but we didn't wanna know the gender already", she answered, turning her head to gaze at Cloud "we decided that we should keep that a surprise."  
  
Yuffie seemed to be pondering whether the answer was satisfying for her, when Marlene spoke up and questioningly looked at Tifa.  
  
"Aunt Tifa, why didn't you bring the baby home yet?"  
  
Tifa and Cloud chuckled at that comment and she carefully bent down to be at the same height than the small girl.  
  
"I'm sorry Marlene, but it will still take some time until the baby is ready to come out of here", she said, softly patting her swollen belly.  
  
Marlene eyed the stomach curiously once again, almost as if she was deciding whether she could believe what 'Aunt Tifa' had just told her.  
  
Yet finally, she nodded, accepting.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"What do you think, Tifa, should we tell them already?" Cloud asked, resting his head on her shoulder.  
  
"Tell us what?" Yuffie asked, almost exploding out of curiosity. "What is it?"  
  
"Ummm well." Tifa started, grinning, being totally aware how tensed up her friend was right now. "Well. Cloud and I are not gonna have a baby."  
  
Now, Yuffie was totally taken aback.  
  
What did that mean? It was more than obvious that she was having a baby, and the doctor already had confirmed on it.  
  
How come she was still grinning? And Cloud, too?  
  
Wait.  
  
Yuffie's face was filled with astonishment as she quietly mouthed: "two?"  
  
Tifa was still grinning as she nodded approvingly.  
  
"Yup, we're gonna have twins."  
  
Immediately, Marlene's head shot up.  
  
"Two babies? Yippee! I must go and tell daddy about it!"  
  
Thus, she hopped off cheerfully, sweetly calling out for Barret.  
  
Cloud chuckled as he stepped right next to Tifa.  
  
"I knew she was gonna like it."  
  
Tifa giggled as Yuffie clapped her hands excitedly.  
  
"Now that's really cool, you know?! It's really stylish nowadays to have twins!"  
  
An awkward silence fell over the room as Cloud and Tifa looked at each other, perplex.  
  
Suddenly, both of them began laughing, seemingly finding it amusing to think of having children the way Yuffie had just expressed.  
  
Yuffie soon fell in to the laughter, until she remember one thing Tifa had mentioned to her earlier that week.  
  
"So I guess", she stated, pointing at Tifa's stomach "that's the reasons why you're that big already, so you won't have to worry about that any more."  
  
Tifa nodded, smiling, actually being relieved that it was now clear, that she did not have to be concerned anymore.  
  
"Oh well", Yuffie threw in, maybe I said that a lil too early."  
  
Cloud and Tifa looked at her questioningly, wondering what had come to the young ninja's mind.  
  
"Well, if you're that big already, just imagine what it's gonna be like about 3 or 4 months from now!"  
  
Tifa gasped, sighing deeply, a somewhat frightened expression darkening her face as she thought about the fight she would have with her clothes then.  
  
"Oh no!"  
  
Yet they could not take it seriously any longer and, once again that day, started laughing hard.  
  
Well, what was bad about laughing a lot, Tifa thought to herself.  
  
I've got many friends, a wonderful boyfriend and more or less soon I'll give birth to our babies.  
  
What else could I be asking for?  
  
How could life be any better?  
  
***  
  
Cloud put the newspaper down and shook his head, smiling to himself.  
  
"Just like she said, it's in the news."  
  
Barret nodded his head, throwing another look at the paper.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's actually kind of predictable. Unfortunately so, we're some of the most famous people on this planet and an occasion like that just had to arouse their interest."  
  
"Whose interest should which occasion arouse?" came a soft voice from the hall.  
  
Quietly, Tifa entered the kitchen and took her place at the table, questioningly looking at Cloud and Barret.  
  
The dark giant simply pushed the newspaper across the table in front of Tifa, and the young woman curiously took it, holding it in front of her to find out what her friends had been talking about.  
  
While examining the front page, her eyebrow shut up and a small grin came to her face. In capital bold letters it said: NEW GENERATION OF HEROES, below that, in smaller letters it said: Tifa Lockheart pregnant.  
  
It had a small text below it, describing when it had been discovered, and what the press thought about it. At the end, it even gave congratulations and its best wishes for the soon-to-be-parents.  
  
Right next to the article, there was a picture of Cloud and Tifa, fairly new, most obviously having been taken just yesterday when the had returned from the doctor. It very obviously showed Tifa's swollen belly under the tight shirt, with Cloud's hand on it while they were standing right in front of the hospital entrance.  
  
As Tifa put the newspaper down, she unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach, smiling.  
  
"I knew it. Even though it surprises me how fast they are." Tifa commented.  
  
The past month, she had not been to town, because she had been suffering from a slight cold, which would have been nothing serious, but Cloud had insisted that she stayed home to get totally well. Actually, there would not have been much she could have done in town anyways, Yuffie had been doing most of the shopping. Additionally, Tifa had preferred staying at home, not just because the morning nausea had still been present, but mostly because she wanted to get used to the new situation first, before half the planet knew about it.  
  
But now it was allright. She was more than content with the circumstances and didn't mind everybody knowing about it, she actually appreciated it, wanting to show the whole wide world how happy she was.  
  
"I'm actually sorta surprised that they don't have the ultrasound picture." Cloud commented, gazing over at Tifa.  
  
"Well, kid, don't say that already, they still got a whole six months for that", Barret retorted, laughing. Cloud and Tifa soon joined in.  
  
There's much laughter in this house lately.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Teef! There's something in the mail for you!"  
  
Tifa grunted and turned around once more, trying get the sheets over her eyes to shield them from the blinding sunlight.  
  
Darn, I slept through again, Tifa noticed, cursing herself inwardly. With a deep sigh, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and ran her fingers through her thick raven hair.  
  
There was a soft knocking at the door.  
  
"Uh. come in", she answered, still feeling dizzy from the long sleep.  
  
Gotta tell Cloud to wake me next time, she noted mentally.  
  
Slowly, the door creaked open and Yuffie stuck her head inside, making sure she was welcome, before she entered the bedroom.  
  
In her hand, she held a letter she handed Tifa, who was still in bed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.  
  
"What is it?" Tifa asked, implying that always curious Yuffie had already taken a look at it.  
  
"I don't know. Just a letter, but the envelope does not say who the sender is."  
  
"That's ok", Tifa answered, taking a closer look at the letter, trying to find any sign for who could have sent it.  
  
Yuffie retreated to the door. "Ok, I'll leave ya alone then", she said before closing the door behind her.  
  
Carefully, Tifa turned the letter around in her hands and opened it. It was a simple white paper, filled in a clear handwriting.  
  
Dear Ms Lockheart,  
  
As I want to speak to you about a most serious and urgent behalf, I will leave out all unimportant details and start straight away. You must know that I am the present student of your former martial arts teacher, Zangan. I am sure that you do remember him, yet you should not be familiar with his present state of mind and health. Lately, he has been suffering from an unknown illness which could not be cured by even the mightiest Healers on this planet. For several days now, he has been in a strong fever, and has started hallucinating.  
  
He frequently mentioned your name, he most obviously wants you to be by his side in his last hours.  
  
All I can do for my master is ask you to do me and him this favor and come as quickly as possible.  
  
Yours faithfully,  
  
Cyra Mindstorm  
  
As Tifa put the letter down, thousands of memories shot through her head. Memories of her first encounter with Zangan, of her first lesson, when she had become stronger very quickly, making more progress than any other of his students.  
  
The last time she had seen her former mentor was when she had been seriously injured by Sephiroth the night Nibelheim had burned down. He had taken care of her and saved her life. Yet from that moment on, she had never seen him again. Their only form of contact had been the seldom exchange of letters, which had slowly decreased until it had stopped completely. Probably it was just because each of them had gone their own ways in life, either more or less eventful.  
  
But in this very moment, she dearly wished she had kept closer contact. There were still so many things she had wanted to ask him, yet as well show him. She knew he would be told if he knew of the progress she'd made.  
  
It filled her with a deep sadness that his condition seemed to be that bad. Zangan had been a part of her life almost as long as she could remember, and it was unimaginable that he should not be there anymore.  
  
How could such a strong warrior ever be beaten? It might have been a childish thought, but to her, he had always appeared to be completely invincible.  
  
Nothing could harm him.  
  
But reality had caught up with her.  
  
Determinedly, she put the letter down and quickly got out of bed, rushing towards the bathroom.  
  
She would for sure fulfill Zangan's wish, not that she felt it to be her duty to do so, yet she wanted to see him again. Badly.  
  
***  
  
  
  
a/n: well, I'm sorry that this is quite short, but I actually didn't have more time to write today. But I promise I'll update real soon. Hope you like it. Please tell me what you think and review. Thankies( 


	4. end of chapter 2: Zangan's death

***

Tifa squeezed Cloud's hand for the last time before she made his way to her old master. Cloud, for sure, had insisted on coming with her, just in case something happened. He had become very protective over the past few months, yet she did not mind it really, but appreciated it. After all, she had to admit that she could need some help actually.

Shaking her head, she entered the small room where a young woman about the age of 17 was taking care of Zangan. It was the same person who had written her that letter: Cyra Mindstorm, his current student.

As soon as she noticed Tifa's appearance, she showed a small smile and got up, greeting her politely, speaking in a whispering voice.

"I'm really glad that you could make it, Ms Lockheart", she started, her gaze jumping between Tifa and the older man lying in bed. "Just like I wrote, he's been in a fever for a few days now, and he mentioned your name quite often. Actually, he told me a lot about you, being very proud. I know that it is his wish to see you once again, after all that time, one last time now. I think that's actually the reason why he fights death to gain a few more hours, minutes. He really needs to see you now, so that he can find his inner peace."

Tifa nodded silently, a heavy lump building in her throat as she slowly walked over to the patient's bed and sat down beside it.

A deep sadness and guilt crept over Tifa as she noticed how weak Zangan, her former master looked. She had always regarded him as the strongest person on the whole planet, invincible, wise, and always there for her when she had needed him.

But now, one could see how much he had been suffering in his life, how much hurt he'd had to bear especially lately, how hard it was to fight to stay alive. 

He looked like an old man, who had lived his life and was now almost ready to leave.

Almost.

The form in bed stirred, and slowly, with great effort, turned its head to take a look at the visitor. 

Tifa gently took his hand into hers, smiling.

His eyes had become dim, had lost their once so sparkling shine that had always fascinated her.

Slowly, Zangan focused his eyes on the young woman, and a smile crept to  his lips, softening his weary features.

He had recognized her at once.

"This must be a dream…" he stated, still smiling. "Yet a pleasing one."

Tifa nodded her head, squeezing his hand softly, leaning closer to him.

"No, it is not. I am real, Master Zangan, it's me, Tifa."

The old man's eyes regained some of their beautiful shine and the smile on his face widened. 

"Thanks heavens…", he whispered as he gazed at her.

"Master Zangan, I'm… I'm sorry I didn't stay in contact with you. I should have thanked you more often, I should have been more grateful for all that you've done for me. I'm so sorry…" her voice trailed off as she looked to the side, trying to hide that single tear which was running down her pale cheek. 

But Zangan shook his head, intensifying his grip on his former student's hand.

"Don't be sorry, dear. There is nothing you have to be sorry for. And it is actually me who has to be grateful. I have to thank for coming here, for fulfilling my keenest dreams. Now that I see that you are doing great", he said, shakily letting go of Tifa's hand and placing his on her swollen stomach, "now I can finally rest."

With a sigh, he lay back down in bed, yet turned around to her once more.

"But… there is one thing I have to ask you… Could you… Cloud you take care of Cyra's training? She is still young and needs guidance."

Tifa nodded. It seemed more than natural for her to fulfill that wish, somehow, she had always expected that it would have one day.

Zangan smiled once again, slowly nodding at her thankfully.

"…Thank… you…… my angel… Take … take… care…" his voice became a mere whisper, hardly audible, as his eyelids came down and all the strength flew from his body.

He had finally found inner peace, his soul was leaving the world of tortures and pain behind, off for a better place.

From behind her, she could hear Cyra gasp as she rushed to join Tifa at her Master's side, sobbing violently.

"No… it can't be… please…" she whispered in between the sobs. 

Gently, Tifa took the girl into her arms and hugged her tight. She knew that Cyra would need her from now on, it would be hard to cope with the loss, Tifa knew that out of experience.

I have to be strong now, I can't cry, I just can't, she tried as a single tear ran down her pale cheek and joined the salty stream, lone witness of deep emotions.

a/n: do you like it? I know it's really not much, but the next one'll be rather long, and it'll be Christmas! YAY! … a lil late, I know but you'll enjoy it, I hope. And thanx for all your reviews. And I actually planned that Cloud and Teef are gonna have a boy and a girl, and I actually know the names already:-) Well, as for any ideas, just send them to my Tifa17w@yahoo.com addy and I'll write back as soon as possible.

Thankies, love y'all :-)


	5. Chapter 3:The promise (part 1)

**Chapter 3: The promise**

The snow was gently floating down on the small town of Kalm, covering it with a peaceful white coat. It had been snowing for weeks now, and no end to it was in sight. Yet as it was now two weeks before Christmas, everybody appreciated the solemn feeling it added to the short, dark days and long black nights. 

Tifa sighed as she took off her thick coat and scarf and put them into the wardrobe. Just a few minutes ago, she'd had her second ultrasound appointment at the doctor's to check if everything was allright with the twins. And, to everybody's delight, everything seemed to be perfectly fine.

Well, almost, Tifa thought as she gave another sigh and placed her hands on her largely swollen belly. Now 6 months along, she looked as if she would be giving birth any minute. With each new day, Tifa found it harder to get comfortable, either lying in bed, sitting on the couch or even standing around, which was especially painful, as her back seemed to be starting to complain heavily.

Yet everything had its bad sides and she was trying hard to ignore them in order to cherish the good ones. 

Even though Tifa still grieved over the death of her former Master Zangan just two months ago, and had shed lots of tears for him already, she still tried to appear strong in front of the others. If it bothered her, there was no reason why the others would have to suffer as well.

Cyra, Zangan's latest student, who was now to learn from Tifa herself, had decided to go home to her grandmother for the rest of the year to bring some distance between her and Zangan's death, so that she would be able to cope with his death and find her own inner peace. After that, at the beginning of the new year, she would return to Tifa to start her studies. Yet it was not decided how the training would go about, because Tifa was most obviously not able to show her any moves right now. She would have to stick to explaining at first, until she would be able to do the practical part again.

Tifa was still pondering about her new role as a teacher, a mistress – she actually did not like the sound of it -, while she was walking right into the living room, to meet Shera who was sitting by the fireplace, writing Christmas cards.

She had returned about a month ago, along with Cid, on the Highwind. The two of them had sorted out their feelings, and, as Cid had always been a man of action but not of words, he had proposed to her at once, without holding a speech. The way Shera had told it, he had just pulled out the ring, held it in her face and bluntly stated that she'd have to marry him, otherwise he'd have to persuade the man who had sold him the ring to take it and give him is money back. 

Tifa had chuckled at those words. They were just so totally him that she could see it like a movie in front of her eyes. Yet Shera loved the grumpy pilot just the way he was and she'd said yes immediately. 

But somehow, Tifa was a little jealous at their engagement. Even though they had talked about it before, even before Tifa knew that she was pregnant, Cloud had not proposed to her yet. Nevertheless, she knew him better than he himself, she knew how excited and nervous he was if things became serious. So he was surely just waiting for what seemed like the right moment. And she knew that he would find it, he always did.

"So, what did the doctor say? Everything allright, I assume?" she asked, looking up from the cards, waking Tifa from her thoughts.

She nodded, smiling, as she sat down in the armchair by the fireplace, which was Cloud's favorite spot. 

"Yeah", she returned, placing her hand on her belly. "Everything's fine, they're growing day by day."

Tifa's sigh was ensued by a small chuckle from Shera, who was well aware of her friend's little misery. 

"Oh, by the way, did you make any plans for Christmas dinner yet?"

Tifa shook her head in reply.

"Nope, not yet", after a short pause she added, "but I would die for a little chocolate ice cream with cheese sauce on it!"

Shera shot her an unbelieving glance, not sure whether she had understood right.

Even Tifa seemed to realize what she had just said and smiled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

Immediately, both women burst into laughter once again.

Cid, who was just coming past the room, shot them an odd look and continued his way, shaking his head.

"Women…"

***

Just one day before Christmas Eve, the whole house was busy with making the last preparations, which included setting up the Christmas tree and decorating it.

Yet the progress was slow, and more humorous than anything else.

Barret was holding the tree, receiving instructions from Shera to make sure it stood completely straight and in a perfect 90 degrees ankle. Cid and Cloud were carrying in dozens of boxes full of decoration, while Nanaki was checking a list made by Shera to make sure they lacked nothing. Some hours before, Yuffie had left to do some late Christmas shopping, dragging a helpless-looking Vincent right behind her. Little Marlene was just jumping around hyperactively all the time, not wanting to wait another day to receive all her presents.

When Tifa had done the finishing touch at the Christmas dinner, she joined the others in the living room, taking in the scene with a slight chuckle.

It was a most humorous sight to see the heroes that had saved the world getting desperate at decorating a Christmas tree.

"Darn tree! How come a bunch of green needles and old brown branches that rot after just a few days can make such a f***** pile of problems?" Barret cursed, and finally let go off the tree, eyeing it viciously.

Shera placed her hands at her hips and looked at him, displeased. 

"Barret, please would you keep your cursing down? Just because you don't like Christmas Trees doesn't mean that ours has to be totally crooked!"

Tifa gave a chuckle as she walked up to Cloud and softly kissed him on the lips.

"Everything allright?" she asked, smiling at him.

Cloud returned the smile, yet grinned at the scenery.

"Well, more or less, I'd say. At least the tree's standing now." He looked back at her.

"How's dinner?"

Tifa sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's all done now, at least as far as possible."

In the other corner of the room, Barret had now begun to curse about the circumstances, well, the tree in particular, and it seemed like he was really annoyed that time.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, totally unexpected, something completely new happened;

Tifa rose her voice until it was merely a scream and shouted at Barret.

"Can't you just the f*** stop complaining once and do what she's sayin'? It's not like she wants anything impossible!! And, would you PLEASE the heck stop cursing?!?!"

Within split seconds, the room fell totally silent, not a single sound to be heard, unbelieving showing in everybody's faces.

As soon as it had happened, Tifa's mood changed again, and, becoming fully aware of what she had just done, she clasped her hands over her mouth and looked at Barret apologizingly.

"I… I'm so so sorry, Barret", she stammered. "I really don't know what's come over me…"

She seemed to be definitely miserable and sorry about her reaction, as it was actually very unlike her to apply such a rough tone of not really necessary. 

But Barret did not take things that serious and started to chuckle.

"Hey, Tif, it's ok. It's not your fault, really."

Tifa just grinned sheepishly, still somewhat embarrassed that she had lost control over herself that easily.

"Allright", Shera said after clearing her throat to get attention, "now that you two got that set, we should get the tree done."

Turning over to Barret, she added. "You know, the angle's just a mere 85° yet."

Barret did nothing but groan as she got ready to face his greatest horror.

***

It was merely dawn when a sudden noise from the corridor could be made out; Marlene was up already, bouncing around the upper floor as if she had been sitting in a huge nest of ants. After all, it was Christmas Day, morning actually, and most likely there was no child on the whole world that would be able to sleep through on that very special day.

And as energized as she was, she now – after a fruitless attempt to wake up a grunting and snoring Barret – darted towards Cloud and Tifa's room, hopeful to wake the two of them. Not that she wouldn't be able to open the present herself, but it would be a lot more funny with some company. 

Without even knocking, the little girl, still in her pajamas, burst in, bouncing up and down in front of the bed.

"Uncle Cloud, Aunt Teef! Get up! It's Christmas! There's lot of presents waiting for us!"

But all the little girl's efforts resulted in were a grunt from Cloud and Tifa making her head more comfortable on his chest, a smile on her lips.

Marlene pursed her lips, not wanting to give up and headed for the curtains, pulling them open the let in the slight winter morning sunlight.

Yet it was enough to wake the couple.

Cloud was still trying to get back to sleep and buried his face deep in his pillow, making disapproving sounds while Tifa sighed and pushed herself up into a somewhat sitting position, blinking at Barret's daughter.

"Aunt Teef, it's already like lunch time and we still haven't opened our presents yet!"

Tifa glanced over at the alarm clock which confirmed her feeling that it was just after 8 in the morning.

With another sigh, she carefully pushed herself of the bed and stretched her tired muscles.

"Okay, Marlene", she said, turning towards the girl, "you go and wake Yuffie and Nanaki, I'll wake the others and we'll meet downstairs then, ok?"

It was definitely "okay" for Marlene, because she nodded happily and jumped out of the room, humming a sweet melody.

Tifa smiled as she watched after Marlene, remembering well when she had been a little girl, and how excited she had been every year when it was around Christmas.

With a giggle she turned around to Cloud, wanting to wake the stirring form that desperately was trying to get back to sleep. 

An impossible attempt with the bright, snow-reflected sunlight streaming in.

***


	6. The Promise part 2 (Proposal)

About half an hour later, everybody in the house was finally up, heading for the living room, still in their nightclothes. 

As all of them had expected, there was no sign of Vincent. He seemed to have left during the night, most likely to find some time for himself during the holidays, which even enlarged his suffering from Lucrecia's death.

Still, the atmosphere, apart from the fact that it was too early actually to be up already, was a happy one. 

Marlene still had not stopped running around excitedly, not being able to wait for opening her presents any longer.

So there seemed to be no other way out for everybody to get a little rest than to finally enter the living room and let the girl rip open her presents.

Yet the living room looked far better than anybody had expected: a nice, warm fire was sparkling in the fireplace, mountains of presents were packed onto wonderfully decorated tables and, right in the middle of everything, there it stood: the Christmas tree.

Most obviously, Shera had been able to persuade Barret, as it was standing in a perfect 90° angle. It was hung with thousands of tiny pieces of decoration, from sparkling glass balls to small sugar canes and real red candles. 

That wonderful sight brought smiles to all faces, even Barret and Cid could not deny that it looked incredibly "christmasy". 

And while everybody was saying their "Merry Christmas", they started  searching for their presents and piling them up.

Little Marlene's eyes were growing wide at the amount of presents she had received, and, more happy than ever, she started ripping them open one by one.

Most of the presents had little name-tags that told who had given it to whom, and everybody seemed to be quite content with what they had gotten: Yuffie's eyes were shining as she unpacked her elemental and summon materia, Cid was concentrated on his book about the history of spaceships, Marlene started playing happily with her toys and "girlie stuff" like Barret called it, he himself was focused on accessories for his gun arm and Tifa received lots of stuff for herself and the twins.

Only Cloud was sitting in front of his pile of presents, motionless, absent minded. Considering the look on his face, he was fighting an inner struggle.

Obviously not even noticing the pile of presents right next to him, he simply stared at his hands which lay closed in his lap.

Whatever it was that he was thinking of, it definitely had to be quite important if it could consume all of his thinking at once.

After having watched him for a few minutes, Tifa started to worry and decided to ask him what was wrong.

Carefully, she got up from her place on the floor next to Marlene and went over to Cloud, sitting down right beside him.

Strangely though, as he noticed her approach, he seemed to tense up even more, a quite uncommon sight with the strong warrior.

Gently, she placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head around so that he now faced her.

"Cloud, you allright?" she asked, concern showing on her face. "Anything wrong?"

Cloud swallowed visibly hard and, suddenly, dropped down onto one knee in front of her.

An awkward silence fell over the room as everybody stopped unwrapping their presents and chatting loudly to stare at the young couple.

Summoning up all his courage, Cloud took Tifa's hand in his and, quietly, started to speak, his voice slightly quivering, yet determined.

"Well, Tifa, we've known each other for like our whole lives now, and even though there have been incredibly hard times, the past year has been the best ever. Since we finally confessed our feelings for each other, and now even will be having our twins soon", he smiled at Tifa and gently touched her stomach, "I could not be happier and more content with life. And I don't even dare imagine what it would be like if you weren't by my side, cheering me up, holding me back when I'm about to do something stupid; loving me for who I am no matter what. I never want to lose you, Tifa", he looked her deep into the eyes and tightened the grip on her hand unconsciously. "I can't stand the though of being without you. And now, with the twins to be born soon, I want us to be a real, whole family that no one can break apart."

He made a short pause to give Tifa some time to take in the news. Silent tears were glistening in her eyes as she watched the love of her life smile at her.

"Well, I guess you already know what I'm about to ask, but still, I'm gonna say it straight out…"

He let go of Tifa's ad and opened a small velvet box he had kept tight in his other hand. Tifa gasped as she looked at the incredibly beautiful ring right before her eyes. It was made of pure platinum, with two lines running through the ring at full length: one of deep crimson, the other of clear, shining blue. The young woman found it hard to get her eyes off it and look at the man kneeling in front of her.

With the ring held out right before him, Cloud cleared his throat and rose his voice again, to finally end the waiting.

"Tifa Lockheart… would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

A sobbed 'yes' could be heard before Tifa rushed into his arms, kissing him passionately, tears still running down her face.

Suddenly, the room grew loud again with cheers and clapping of their rejoicing friends who were happy that everything had finally worked out the way they had always known it would.

When Cloud and Tifa had finally broken the hug, he took the ring and slowly slid it over her finger. Unbelievingly, she looked at it, turning her hand in all directions, still not sure if it might not just all be a wonderful dream.

Cloud smiled at her, slightly bemused by the incredulous look on her face. Carefully, he took her face in his hands and turned it toward him.

"Believe me, Teef, this is true. It's not just a dream. It's better."

With a smile on both faces, they kissed again, knowing that things could hardly get better than they already were.

Nothing, they assured themselves, absolutely nothing would ever be able to tear them apart, no matter what.


	7. The Promise part 3 (drama part finally)

Almost a month had passed now since Christmas, the end of January was nearing.

Finally being engaged to Cloud, Tifa was incredibly happy and content lately, even though her pregnancy was still troubling her at times. It was now more than impossible to get comfortable, no matter how. Even lying in bed was beginning to be a real torture. Just two more months, just a few more weeks, that's what she told herself again and again, yet never really being persuasive. 

But luckily, there was something that kept her mind off all that unpleasant thoughts most of the time now: just a few days ago, Cyra Mindstorm, Zangan's last student, had returned and Tifa had started tutoring her. The young girl showed great potential, not only physically, but mentally as well. With a few years of training, she would surely be able to become one of the top martial arts fighters on the planet, if she had the wish to do so.

All Tifa could do for now was train her as well as possible.

Which was not really a lot yet.

The first few days, they had spent getting to know each other, talking not only about their training, but about everything that came to their minds, from their hobbies, to family background, to the crushes they'd had when they were younger.

About a week ago, the actual training had started. The two women were mostly out in the open, fields or forests, wherever there was a chance for an easy fight. They had decided not to rush things as Cyra was not that skilled yet and Tifa would most likely not be able to help her if the situation demanded it.

It had taken Tifa quite some time to convince Cloud that it was not necessary for him to accompany them wherever they went. They had been arguing about that topic for hours. And even though it was surely nice how much he cared about her – and she really appreciated that - , she wanted to keep some independence. 

That day, they were at the edge of a forest a few miles from Kalm. 

Cyra was busy fighting a small number of Imps while Tifa was shouting her advice on how to beat them best and fastest. 

The young, blond haired girl swirled around in the air, doing a single somersault, followed by an upper kick. Her speed was incredibly for a student, and after a few seconds, the fight was done, and Cyra landed back on the ground with a swift, elegant move.

Tifa smiled at her student, walking closer to her.

"That was really good", she admitted, kind of proud, "What do you think? Do you wanna try a harder one now?"

The girl nodded, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. 

"Hmmm… okay then…" Tifa started, her gaze wandering around the terrain, watching out for the next opponent. After a while, she had spotted something that seemed almost perfect: a large, poison snake. Even though they were looking vicious, they were relatively easy to battle, she knew that out of experience. As long as the fighter was fast enough, able to dodge the poisonous tail that moved at a rather fast speed, the battle would be over soon without much effort.

Tifa gestured for her student to follow her deeper into the forest, until they were just a few feet away from the beast. Resting herself down a little away from the place of action, she gave Cyra some last pieces of advice, explaining the weak points and best tactics.

Right then, the girl broke some smaller branches in a nearby tree to arouse the snake's attention. The tactic had the wished effect: the snake was coming closer rapidly, ready to attack the intruder. 

At first, everything worked fine. Cyra, with her great speed, had no problems dodging the snake's tail, and with each round, she was adding a little more damage with her somersaults and kicks.

Tifa watched the battle with great interest, yet keeping quite so that she would not arouse the snake's attention, for she did not want to endanger herself more than necessary. 

Then, all of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach and let out a low cry, clutching her belly.

Yet she was not only the center of her pupil's attention now: the beast stopped in its tracks, its head turning abruptly in Tifa's direction.

Sensing that the pregnant young woman would certainly be an easier target, it let go off Cyra and sped off toward Tifa.

Stumbling backwards, she fell to the ground, unable to escape the approaching beast. Cyra rushed to her help, yet she did not make it in time.

A high pitched cry rang through the trees, scaring away the birds, as the poisonous sting penetrate the woman's body, flooding it with its deadly liquid.

The girl was in deep rage.

Without any second thoughts, she dashed at the beast and attacked it, fury unleashing powers that before had been buried deep inside of her. 

After two unbelievingly powerful attacks, the beast had lost, its body falling limply to the ground.

In the same instance, Cyra remembered what had happened and rushed to Tifa's aid. She was lying on the floor, sobbing, weeping, while she clutched her stomach. Agony was painted all across her unnaturally pale face, joined by horror.

She was deadly terrified that she might lose her child.

And it was not unlikely to happen at all.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, Cyra grabbed Tifa's PHS and dialed a number, yet changed it after thinking about it.

There would be no use calling the ambulance, they would never be able to get into the unruly terrain.

"Cloud?… Cloud, it's me, Cyra.… Come here, quick! I need your help! We're in the East Forest!… Make the others call the ambulance.… Tifa, she got poisoned by a Tyrel-Snake! Please, hurry up!" 

She hung up immediately, dropping the PHS, softly touching Tifa's forehead; she was panting, covered in cold sweat, the color completely drained from her skin.

"Tifa! Tifa, please, try to stay awake! I just called Cloud, he'll be here really soon! Tifa, please, be strong, you'll make it", she cried, holding down her sobbing, trying to reassure her friend, trying with all means to keep her conscious, "Don't give up, you'll be allright!"

Never before in her life had Cyra Mindstorm felt more helpless than in that very moment out there in the forest with her pregnant Master poisoned with a deadly toxin. 

There was absolutely nothing she could do.

***

Her eyelids heavier than every before, she slowly opened her eyes, yet regretted it in the same instance.

Coming with all the sudden light and blurred shapes was an overwhelming pain that penetrated her whole body. Yet somehow, for some reason beyond her conscious knowledge, she knew that she should not give in to the longing of falling asleep. She knew she had to stay conscious.

Still, no matter how hard she tried, everything still seemed surreal, the blurred shapes and crackling sounds making absolutely no sense in her mind.

But there was something. A feeling, a touch probably. And suddenly, she felt calm, somewhat comfortable, and she knew, everything would be allright soon, the pain would cease.

Weakly, shaking uncontrollably, she raised her hand in the direction of the touch, until she felt resistance.

A tiny smile formed on her lips as the comfortable feeling increased and she sunk back, relying on those that would help her.

***

Not really knowing where he went, his legs carried him faster than they ever had, brushing past small bushes and finally reaching the thick forest. 

He immediately found his way and, soon, reached the spot where the tragedy had happened: his love Tifa was lying on the ground, drifting off into unconsciousness, with her student Cyra right next to her, looking totally helpless. 

A thousand different emotions rushed in on him, overwhelming him, but above all, it was worry and fear, the fear that he might lose his fiancee, and his unborn children as well.

Unconscious of any of his actions, he rushed to her side, touching her forehead slightly.

To his surprise, Tifa seemed to feel his touch and reacted. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and a smile crept to her face.

"Tifa… Teef… Stay still, don't move. I'll help ya, you'll be allright soon!"

Slowly, she raised her hand up to his cheek and gently touched it, still smiling, before she sunk back onto the ground.

Determined, he took her into his arms, carrying her out of the forest, right toward the small town, Cyra right behind him.

There was not a second to lose.

He had to hurry.

***

The doctors had been in the operating room treating Tifa for two and a half hours already. And for exactly the same time now, Cloud was pacing up and down the corridor, waiting for news on Tifa's state. None of the doctors had told him or his friends anything so far, they just had brought her in quickly and left them be. 

And that fact definitely irritated Cloud. Yet he was not just mad at the medical staff, but even more at himself, for not having been there when she had needed him most.

He now deeply regretted having let her go off training on her own, just with her student by her side, that he had not been able to have it his way and accompany her whenever she left town. 

Damn it, how could you, he accused himself and punched the wall, resting its forehead against it, eyes closed. 

He knew that, if any permanent damage had been done to Tifa, or their children, he would not be able to bear the guilt he would lay upon himself.

He would not be able to go on living.

Even just imagining the pain made his mind reel and spin, and him hope even more that everything would be allright.

Yet no matter how hard he tried to convince and cheer himself up, it just would not work. The guilt that built up inside of him was too strong, threatening to overwhelm him any second.

And something similar was obviously happening to Cyra at the same time.

She was sitting on a bench, not far away from Cloud, still sobbing quietly with her face hidden in her hands. Even though Nanaki and Yuffie, who had just arrived a few minutes after Tifa had been brought in, had told her that it was definitely not her fault, the teenager did not believe in anything they said and just continued sobbing all the time.

Yuffie, who was about the same age as Cyra, was sitting next to her, holding her in her arms, rocking her carefully. 

Nanaki, Cid and Shera had taken place some feet away from the mourning man and the sobbing girl, simply staring at the floor in front of them in stony silence, as no one of them actually knew what to say to lessen the tension which was hanging in the corridor.

Barret though seemed somewhat enraged. He had known Tifa for many years now, and she was like a little sister to him, as she had always cared for Marlene and helped him with the things he did not really understand about girls. And although he did not know who to blame, he had been cursing wildly when he had arrived and had been told about the situation. However, he had calmed down, at least acoustically, staring at the floor as if he was trying to rip it open with nothing but his looks.

As the minutes went by and turned into hours, the tension rose, visible on the faces of all those who were waiting for answers.

Not a single word was being spoken, only the low hum of the bright lights and the faint sobbing could be heard, at times accompanied by noises of Cloud's fist hitting the solid stone wall.

Even after a whole three hours, the situation had not changed the slightest bit; no doctor had yet come to give them any new information. And, slowly but surely, that fact was driving Cloud crazy. 

He had already punched the wall for what seemed like a thousand times now, his knuckles already showing signs of the beating.

When he rose his fist once again, Barret lost his temper.

The dark man walked up to Cloud, catching his friend's fist before it could hit the stone, holding it in a tight grip.

Locking his gaze with his eyes, he shot him a fierce look. The tension was almost overwhelming by now, like a suffocating blanket that slowly sunk lower and lower to rob them of all oxygen.

Suddenly, the silence was broken as Barret rose his deep, harsh voice.

"Would you the **** stop it now?" his eyes narrowed as he stared straight into Cloud's face, "I know, we all know, that you're mad and irritated an' stuff, but, d'you think we don't feel just as helpless as you do? You're not the only who cares for Tifa, be sure about that. There's no use in making all of us even more nervous and annoyed!"

With a fast motion, Cloud withdrew his hand from Barret's tight grip and stared back at him with an icy glare, yet it was very obviously just a façade for those feelings that were seriously troubling him.

"As if you knew how I'm feelin'…", the icy expression slowly faded from his eyes as he sunk back against the wall, sliding down, running his hands through his spiky hair.

"I should have been there! It is my duty to protect her from anything that might harm her! And now, just because I've failed I might lose her… and our children…" he pressed those sentences out, trying to force back the tears welling up in his eyes. However, it was a useless attempt, for, just a few seconds later, they streamed down his cheek, uncontrolled, yet silently.

Although there were thousands of thoughts in his mind, thousands of encouraging words Barret could tell his young friend, nothing seemed really adequate for that situation, so he just placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly, and left him be.

The corridor would have sunken back into deep silence if a door had not opened in just that second, a doctor emerging.

Cloud and the others jumped up immediately, nervous about what news the man might bring.

The older doctor walked down the corridor, stopping in the middle of the group.

Studying the man's facial expression, Cloud walked up to him, every muscle in him more tense than ever before, his mind reeling.

Not being able to voice a single of his thoughts, he just stood before him, eyes pleading for answers.

"Well", the doctor started, clearing his throat, "First, if Miss Lockheart would have been brought here even just a few minutes later, it would have definitely been too late for her, we can say that. The poison penetrated the area of her abdomen, rapidly expanding to the upper part of her body, infecting the neurons."

"So… so she's… okay?" Yuffie asked, choking on the words, voicing the thoughts Cloud could not get out.

The doctor's expression grew even more serious as he continued to speak.

"It would be too early to say something like that. Her situation is still extremely serious. Only the next few days will show if she and/or the twins will make it."

Cloud closed his eyes, inhaling sharply. His insides were turning. His mind was reeling. His worst fears possibly coming true soon.

Oh, how much did he wish it was all just a dark, bad nightmare from which he would soon awake right next to his fiancee, gazing into her beautiful, healthy face, without any worries to threaten their lives.

Yet he had to face reality, he had to face his worst fears. 

He would prevent them from coming true, no matter what.

"Can I see her?" Cloud asked, his voice still quivering from the tension, nevertheless determined.

After a moment of considering, the doctor nodded and rose his voice again, pointing for the intensive care unit.

"Yes, you can, but only one person at a time. She is still in a coma, but I think she would recognize the presence of close friends."

Cloud nodded, then turned around to his friends, receiving approving half-smiles and nods.

More nervous than ever before in his whole life, his legs shaking vigorously, he made his way to the intensive care unite Tifa was being nursed in.

Yet what he saw upon entering was far worse than he had imagined: the small room was packed to the ceiling with instruments, beeping screens and two obviously stressed nurses observing every small regularity. 

And there she was, in the middle of the scene: his Tifa, his first love, now fiancee, bearing their children.

Half covered by a blanket, the exposed part of her body – the arms, neck and head – was plastered with tubes running to various instruments, as well as some infusions that were steadily dripping into her body.

The nurses turned their heads at Cloud, trying to smile reassuringly at the miserably looking man, gesturing him to sit down on a chair next to Tifa's bed.

Cloud did as he was told, feeling his spirits sink, seeing her like that, his Tifa, the young woman that had always been so happy and cheerful, never giving up, never showing any signs of weakness.

Carefully, he brought his hand up to her face and caressed it gently, tears forming in his eyes.

With a profound, agonized sigh, he took her left hand into his and slowly brought it up to his face, kissing it, feeling her soft skin against his.

However, feeling the coolness of her otherwise so warm and soft skin made him realize the full scale of what was happening right now.

Without any warning, the tears now finally broke out, running down his cheeks in streams, yet silently, as he rested his head next to hers, inhaling her sweet scent, no longer being able to deny the dreading facts.

***


	8. the promise part 4 (finally)

Almost a week had already gone by, however, Tifa's state had not changed the slightest bit. She was still in deep coma, not responding to anything that happened around her.

No matter what the doctors, nurses or her friends tried, she just lay in bed, still, not showing the slightest reaction.

And although the doctors were slowly losing hope that Tifa might recover, Cloud still sat by her side, hoping, praying. Since the first day she had been brought in, he had been sitting right next to her, not leaving her side for more than a few minutes when his friends made him. 

Cyra came in to visit Tifa every day, still not being able to throw off the feeling of guilt.

The rest of the bunch stayed in the background, not really knowing how to react to the situation, simply hoping that their friend would recover soon.

Like every day for the past days, Cloud was sitting right beside Tifa's bed, holding her hand in his, staring at her as if alone his looks might be able to awaken her from her deep sleep.

He could barely cope with the thought that there seemed to be actually nothing he could do to change her situation. If there were, he wouldn't let anything undone, untried. 

Yet all he could do was sit by her side and spend her company and consolation.

Countless times had he already spoken to the doctors and nurses, still they seemed to be just as helpless as he was.

"We'll just have to wait", was all they said, each and every time he asked, but he never stopped.

He just did not want to accept the fact that he couldn't do anything. Now he could understand even better how Tifa had felt when he had been poisoned by Mako and had almost lost his mind.

Yet she had never given up on him, so there was no chance he would.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head next to hers, a position he liked a lot, feelings her soft skin close to his.

It was a little relaxing, as he always started dreaming, dreaming of life what it would be like if everything were to be right again, of what their twins would look like.

Would they have her eyes? Or probably his?

Would they have her melodic voice? Or probably his deeper one?

Would they have her cheery optimism? Or probably his determination? 

Trying to picture his kids evoked deeply sad emotions, and the thought that he might lose his fiancée, the person he loved even more than himself or anything on earth, as well, was unbearable.

Once again, tears welled up in his eyes, and he did not bother suppressing them.

Life could be more than unfair sometimes…

"Hmmm……………"

Cloud's thoughts were erased within split-seconds as he felt the slender, long fingers move in his grip.

With a jerk, he sat up straight, looking over at Tifa.

Was he hallucinating? Dreaming?

Incredulously, he watched as Tifa stirred in bed, her eyes slowly fluttering open after the long sleep.

Cloud bent over her, watching her every muscle move as if it were a miracle given by God no man had ever been allowed to see before. And to him, it actually was.

As soon as her eyes focused, they jumped around nervously, trying to find out where she was and what had happened to her. 

"It's allright, Tifa. You're in hospital. Calm down, everything's allright!" he blurted out instinctively, trying to quiet her.

Suddenly, a look of horror appeared on her face and she carefully touched her swollen belly with her hands, obviously remembering what had happened before she had fallen into coma.

Anxiously, she shot Cloud a questioningly look, trying to voice her questions, yet not being able to utter an audible word.

"Don't worry, Tifa, the twins are okay, nothing's happened to them." He said as he gently kissed her on the forehead.

Relieve was painted across both their faces as she brought her hand up to his cheek and slowly pulled him down for a soft kiss on the lips.

The nightmare had been prevented from happening once more.

Outside the room, the nurses stood in front of the glass door, giggling.

The tests could wait…

**Chapter 4: Every end is a new beginning**

A week ago, Tifa had been released from hospital after a few days of check-up to make sure that everything was allright with her and the twins.

And much to her dismay, she had been told to get a lot of rest and prohibited to do work of any kind, even housework. Only hesitantly had she agreed, yet she had not really had another choice, as Cloud was determined that nothing should happen to her ever again. And since the first day she had come home again, he had been doing everything to make her stay quiet. He hardly let her go anywhere on her own, and Tifa actually had to admit that it was getting harder every day, as she was now eight months pregnant and her stomach immensely swollen.

Very often she would stand in front of the mirror as she was doing right now, the shirt pulled up so that her stomach was exposed. 

Carefully, she ran her fingers over her belly, feeling the bulges under the skin where their children were waiting for their birth. The twins were moving rather often now, hardly leaving her a quiet moment without kicks or turns.

Sometimes, she sat down and sang songs to them, to quiet them down. Cloud was mostly sitting in a little distance, listening to her melodic voice with a smile on the lips. Since he had experienced the feelings of almost losing her, he was savoring every moment they spent together.

Smiling, Tifa pulled the shirt back down to cover her belly and turned around, leaving the room to go downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, she was greeted by a grumpy Cid, who was standing next to the refrigerator, cigarette in the corner of his mouth as usual.

"Hey Tiff", he acknowledged shortly, continuing to rummage for some more food.

"Morning Cid", she smiled in return, grabbing some fruits to prepare herself a small breakfast, yet the silence was soon disturbed.

"CID!!!" 

Uh oh… 

Both Cid and Tifa turned around, more or less hesitantly, to see an irritated Shera stand in the doorway, hands placed at her hips.

Most obviously, she was furious.

Yet neither Cid nor Tifa knew why so, however, they would get to know soon enough.

"Cid Highwind!!" she started, half-yelling, walking closer up to him "How often do I have to tell you to stop smoking inside, especially when you're around Tifa?!?!"

With a quick motion, she snatched the cigarette from his mouth, still glaring at her fiancé.

"You know that it is not good for pregnant woman to inhale that smoke! Do you plan to be just as careless when we have children?"

Shooting him a last look, she stomped away, fuming, most likely not completely aware of what she had said just a few seconds ago.

Cid let out a deep sigh. He surely had not imagined their life together like this when he had proposed to her. However, it had not truly changed. Shera had always been the one in command as she was just as stubborn as Cid himself.

And Tifa was well aware of that, simply commenting the scene with a chuckle. Sure, she herself was not fond of Cid smoking around her, but she had actually gotten so used to seeing him with a cigarette that she did not even notice it separately anymore.

However, now that Shera had stormed off, silence had returned to the kitchen. Yet it would not last long.

While continuing to prepare her small breakfast of fruits and a cup of steaming hot chocolate, the clapping of a door being closed, followed by nearing footsteps could be heard.

Seemingly, Cloud was back from town after doing some essential shopping.

Carrying to large paperbags in his arms, he cautiously went to the kitchen, trying to maneuver around the chairs.

Finally, he plopped the bags down onto the table, leaning himself next to them, looking around the kitchen for the first time.

"Hey there", Tifa greeted him, smiling and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

Yet Cloud's reactions was quite different from hers. As soon as he spotted his very pregnant fiancee who had been released from hospital just shortly before walking around the kitchen happily, filling her arms with fruits and similar food, his eyes grew wide, just a second before he shot her a displeasing look.

"Tifa!" he yelled, louder than actually intended, walking up to the questioningly looking woman "I told you to stay in bed till I'd come back and make you breakfast. You know the doctor told you not to walk around that much and not to lift heavy things!"

Cloud was obviously serious about it, still Tifa only chuckled at his concern.

"Come on, Cloud, these are fruits! They're not heavy at all! And I just walked down the stairs into the kitchen, and didn't have a 2 hours walk!"

With a broad grin on his face, Cid squeezed himself through the half opened door, arms full. He knew arguments like this. He had heard many of them lately. Cloud was probably just a little too worried and careful about Tifa and pregnancy.

Probably… You would never know until you were the same situation.

Inside of the kitchen, Tifa was still giggling, seemingly very bemused by Cloud's facial expression. However, his look had turned from deeply concerned and slightly irritated to completely desperate.

No matter how often he tried to talk a little sense into her, it just wouldn't work. Every time, she would just giggle, smile, kiss him softly… So much about his determined decision to make her act a little more careful. He just couldn't resist her charms.


	9. next part

Letting out a deep sigh, he put down the shopping bags and kissed Tifa back softly.

"Just promise me that you'll get some rest later, okay?" he tried "You know what the doctor told you…"

Again, Tifa just smiled, still gathering fruits in her arms. 

"Okay okay, if that makes you feel better. No need to worry anyways."

Once more her disarming smile and, ensuing, a desperate sigh from Cloud.

Useless.

She would most likely never change.

However, that was one of the reasons why he loved her so much.

***

A deep sigh echoed in the stillness.

"I never knew it would be this hard…"

A soft giggling sound followed this realisation.

"Well, I never said it would be easy, right?"

Cloud let out another sigh, however smiling at the same time.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just never knew how many names there are on this planet."

With a slightly confused expression, he loosened his grip on a book he was holding and let it plop into his covered lap.

Disturbingly though, it there was welcomed by about another dozen books which were strewn chaotically on the covers, all of them most obviously serving only one purpose: choosing names for unborn children. In this particular case, Cloud's and Tifa's twins.

Yet just as obvious as the former none of the pieces of 'scientific literature' had really helped the expectant parents. Even worse than that: they had confused them beyond imagination.

Another sigh.

But this time, it was uttered by Tifa, who tried to comfortably half-sit up in bed, which was made a little difficult by her immensely swollen stomach.

"I think we should make a different approach to this, otherwise we'll most likely never agree on names. And I guess just calling them '#1' and '#2' wouldn't be very imaginative either…"

Cloud chuckled softly as he let his gaze wander over the various books, looking up to the ceiling as if it were a source of inspiration, helping those urgently in need.

"Ya… I guess…"

Another deep silence fell over the bedroom, an unanswered question hanging in the air. It slowly penetrated the minds, waiting in its corners for the right time to reappear and gain importance and value.

_Why not…___

"Why not…?" Cloud commenced, and even without ending, Tifa knew perfectly well what he needed to say.

And both of them already knew the answer as well.

"Why not Aeris, or Zack…" Tifa continued his sentence, trailing off, in deep thought.

Cloud's gaze fell to his hands, as if they bore an immense interest, consuming all of his mind. 

"I… I don't think we should do that. I mean, Aeris… and Zack… they both were great individuals, great persons with a good character… and we should never forget about them. But giving our children their names… I don't know… it wouldn't be right… it wouldn't feel right…" he trailed off as well, voicing his feelings, however not knowing their reasons.

"No, it wouldn't… certainly not. They are, or will be, individuals themselves, different from the original Zack and Aeris. I don't want them to be influenced by their names. I want them to develop their own unique character, not to think that they have to live up to those people they got their names from, even if they were great people. It just wouldn't be right." She said softly, determined, giving the reasons for his feelings.

Cloud nodded in agreement, now directing his gaze to his fiancé, a smile forming on his lips to wipe away the frown. All of his worries, building up in the deep corners in his mind, only existing to bother him and destroy his self confidence somehow, each time he looked her in the eyes, grew smaller and smaller until they completely disappeared. With her, nothing in the world could actually be completely wrong, or bad.

As long as he had her by his side, Armageddon might come and destroy everything, he wouldn't mind.

And choosing names was – at least for Cloud – like a personal version of an Armageddon. But he would get over it.

One day, one not so far off day, he would hold his children in his arms, gazing in the eyes of his wonderful wife and all of his worries or concerns would be forgotten immediately in the blink of an eye.

"Well…" he started, with a smile playing around his lips, "I guess we'll just have to go on searching then…"

Tifa nodded, agreeing, and placed her hands on her stomach.

"I guess so…"

Carefully, he leant over to her and gently kissed her on the lips, comfortingly. Spending her consolation.

Content, with a hidden sigh within both of them, they slowly sunk back into the pillows, in each other's arms.

"But before, I think, we've earned a small pause, huh?" Cloud tried, a childish grin on his face, winking.

Tifa rolled her eyes at her fiancé. Even though his childish behaviour could sometimes easily upset her – definitely caused by her extreme sensitiveness in her pregnancy, it was one of the reasons why she loved him so much.

Not even bothering to give him a voiced reply, she just brought her lips up to his and softly kissed him, thus silently answering his question.

In a most pleasant way.

***

The sun had already set some hours ago, leaving the world dark and cold, without the warmth of its comforting rays. 

Yet inside a rather big house in the quite town of Kalm, flames were sizzling in the fireplace, comforting those sitting around it.

And just as calm as outside, the inhabitants shared a peaceful late winter evening together.

Arm in arm, Cloud and Tifa sat on the couch, enjoying each other's company. While Cloud was more or less paying attention to the news running on TV, Tifa observed Cyra doing a concentration exercise. After Tifa been released from hospital, the young woman had behaved very carefully toward the expectant mother, partially because she still blamed herself for the accident that had nearly cost them not only Tifa but also the twins, and partially because she was very well aware of the strenuousness of the pregnancy she was going through and thus tried not to bother her too much.

Much to Tifa's dismay, everybody treated her like a little child, hardly ever letting her do what she herself wanted.

_A/n: I'm sooo so sorry that it takes me this long to update my fanfics. It's just that I was quite busy with choosing a college lately, so I didn't have much time to go on writing. I hope I'll be faster now that most of the important stuff is done. _

_And also a big "sorry" for this being somewhat a middle part. I really wanted to update a full chapter, but, well, seen above, I sorta just couldn't. I promise it'll be some more next time. And if you got any questions or anything, just let me know and I'll try and answer them._

_Thanx for reading, and review please^_^_


	10. runnin' out of names

Unfortunately though, no matter what she told them, they just wouldn't stop, so she would most likely have to bear it for some more time. After all, they babies were due anytime, the exact due date being 8 days from then, so it shouldn't be too hard.

"Ouch…" 

With a small sigh, yet at the same time smiling to herself, she put her hands to her largely swollen stomach.

"Anything wrong, hon?" Cloud asked, shooting her a somewhat worried, yet at the same time knowing glance.

Tifa just smiled in return, gently caressing her stomach as the one of the babies kicked once again and shook her head.

"Naw, nothing. They're just being a little hyperactive again." She added with a short chuckle.

His face lighting up, her spiky-haired fiancé placed his hand on her stomach, right next to hers, like he did almost every time he would get the chance of feeling his soon-to-be-born children. Throughout the whole pregnancy, he had been by her side almost all the time, no matter when. He did not want to miss a single step. Since the very minute that Tifa had told him that she was pregnant he had been really excited about the whole situation, looking forward to the birth so much. However, it was still hard for him to believe that he would be the proud father of their twins in just a few days. It still seemed somewhat surreal, more like one of those too-good-to-be-true dreams you had sometimes but woke up before the happy ending. The only difference was that this was not just a dream, this was reality.

Fortunately.

"Cloud…?" Tifa gasped, grasping his hand a little tighter, thus pulling him out of his thoughts.

A questioning look on his face, he turned his gaze toward her.

"What is it?"

Yuffie and Cyra both stopped what they had been doing, hearing the seriousness in Tifa's voice and turned around to her as well.

Tifa's face had turned slightly pale and her hands now both clutched her stomach.

"I think my water just broke…" she replied, somewhat unbelieving.

Cloud simply stared at her, as if her words were far too abstract for him to ever be understood. Sure, they had often talked about what would have to be done as soon as the time arrived, but once it happened, it was completely different.

Cyra jumped up, rushing to her side.

"So it's started? Are you feeling okay?" she asked, worried, hoping that everything would go the right way.

Tifa simply nodded in return.

"Okay then. Yuffie, you call the midwife and tell her that we're gonna be there in a few minutes. And make sure we get a taxi to the hospital. Barret, you get her things. And Cloud, you help me get her up and to the hospital, and be careful!"

Silence. 

Certainly everyone had heard what she had just told them, yet somehow, they did not realize that it had to be put into practice, and pretty fast.

Cyra looked around at all of them, getting a little annoyed at the fact that none of them were moving.

"Hurry up and get going! NOW!"

At this, the room sprang to a sudden motion. All at once, everybody jumped up, each of them running off into another direction, probably still not realizing the situation, but at least finally reacting to it.

Even Cloud had moved, getting up to support his fiancé who was trying to stand up without having it cause too much pain.

"But… but, she's not supposed to be giving birth until next week!" he muttered worriedly.

Cyra chuckled slightly at his concerned face and reassuringly smiled at him while supporting Tifa with her arm.

"Don't worry, this happens quite often, and there's absolutely nothing wrong or even dangerous about it."

"Ya, she's right, hon", Tifa added, looking up at him. "The twins just can't wait any longer. Seems like they're as impatient as their daddy." She added with a smirk.

Cloud chuckled in return. The fact that she was still feeling okay and able to make jokes calmed him down a lot.

In the background, an excited Yuffie could be heard yelling something over the phone, and the rumbling of Barret, upstairs, who was getting Tifa's things, could definitely not be overheard either.

Even more excited than ever before, and even more nervous – though hardly imaginable – Yuffie came back into the room, her breathing uneven.

"I made the calls. The… everything will be ready at the hospital, and the taxi should be here any minute. They…" she made a short pause to catch some breath "they said they would get here as fast as possible!"

***

Just as fast as the time had gone by when the had brought Tifa into the clinic, just as slow it was going by right now, while she was labor.

Shortly after they had brought her in, her contractions had become stronger and the intervals between them shorter, so that the doctors had made all of them go outside. Only the expectant father himself, namely Cloud, had been allowed to stay with her. And even after 5 endless hours, he hadn't changed location.

The first adrenaline caused by the rushed ride to the hospital had worn off and made place for nagging tension. 

The whole situation felt awkward, somewhat similar to the time some months ago, when Tifa had been poisoned and had almost died, yet still completely different. Because this time, there would almost certainly be a happy ending.

Still, the tension seemed unbearable, only intensified through the young woman's echoeing screams when another contraction shook her body. 

It was hard, for all of them, to know – and be reminded so obviously – that their friend was in pain, and none of them being capable to help her.

Yes, sure, giving birth to children was supposed to be like this, but still, it somewhat didn't seem fair.

Yuffie let out another sigh – probably the hundredth within an hour – and hugged her knees, leaning her back against the wall.

"Man, this is taking long…" 

Yet upon hearing another scream from Tifa's direction, she shuddered unconsciously.

"If having children's always like this, then I rather stay 'Auntie Yuffie'…"

Cyra chuckled mildly, smiling back at the young ninja.

"But it's definitely worth it. I mean, having your own children, watch them grow up. Having somebody who will remember you even when you've left this world…" 

She had closed her eyes and obviously started dreaming.

Yuffie gave her a weird look, not really understanding her friend's attitude. Why would somebody deliberately go through so much pain? Only to be rewarded with screaming, dirty, hungry, stinky kids? 

"Naw, I'm not so sure about that…" she replied with a frown showing on her forehead.

"Trust me, it is", Barret's deep voice rumbled. He had shifted his weight from one leg to the other to prevent it from falling asleep and getting too uncomfortable. 

"Trust me. You have your first kid and you'll see."

It was nothing but pure logic to hear those words from the gentle giant. Barret Wallace had nobody of his family left but Marlene. She was literally everything to him, and he did not even want to dare imagine what his life would be like without her. For his little daughter, he would do everything, no matter what. If necessary, he would even give his life without any second thoughts.

Yuffie just shrugged, still not sharing his opinion. 

"Ya, maybe."

_A/n: And really sorry again for not updating more than just this small part. But I'm just really busy lately, getting my very first own apartment and getting ready for college, stuff like that. Though as soon as I'm going to college and move, I'll have a lot more time to write and update more frequently. Until then, have fun with this small part. And pleeeeeassssee review, okay? ^_^ Thanx in advance._

_Btw: If any of you have wishes for this story, or maybe a sequel considering their kids or anything like that. Ideas for other fanfics count as well. I accept challenges, as long as they're not against my believes. So, any challenges for Cloti? Or probably Pokémon AAMRN? Ranma ½, Breath of Fire or any other anime I know are also gladly accepted^_^_


	11. last part

Another long period of silence followed.

The young girl from Wutai let out another deep sigh and leaned her head against the wall, taking a look at the ticking clock on the wall.

"Six hours already… How long do you think is this gonna take?"

Cyra gazed over at her and smiled sympathetically. 

"Some women are in labour even more than 24 hours, some give birth after 2. So I guess you can't really tell…" she replied, "I just hope that she's allright…"

An extremely loud scream ended the threatening silence before it had even begun.

Finally, a new, different sound mingled with Tifa's fainting scream and everybody immediately jumped up.

Just a few seconds later, a nurse left the treating room and stepped out into the corridor, a bright smile on her face.

"They're allright, all of them. The mother and the twins are doing very well."

A collective exhalation could be heard at the sound of the good news.

Just one question was yet unanswered. However, the experienced nurse knew very well what those people were dying to know.

"A boy and a girl. And they're both really cute", she added with a smirk.

Chuckles and giggles broke out, and loud conversations began.

All the tension of the past few hours had been blown away like a tiny leaf in an autumn breeze.

***

"Congratulations, Ms Lockheart, Mr. Strife. You are now parents of healthy twins, a boy and a girl", the midwife announced, smiling at the two young people in front of her.

Despite all the pain and torture she had been going through during the past few hours –months, probably ^_~ - she couldn't help but smile contently as she held two small bundles in her arms.

Right by her side, Cloud was beaming. Beaming with pride about being the father of the newborns. Gently, he caressed his fiancée's cheek, brushing strands of sweaty hair out of her face.

"They are so beautiful…" Tifa commented, dazed by the sight of her tiny children.

Their clear blue eyes were wandering around the room, unfocused, their tiny hands grabbing for everything within reach.

There truly seemed to be some magic in little children.

"Ya… They're perfect." Cloud added, smiling, placing a soft kiss on Tifa's cheek. 

Tifa let out a soft giggle and looked over at her fiancée.

"You know, this is most likely what all the parents say about their kids."

Cloud chuckled, while shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh well, then it can't be too wrong, can it?"

"Naw, I guess not…" the young mother replied, smiling down at her children once more. 

Following her gaze, Cloud took in the sight of his newborn children.

Just a short time ago, nobody had believed that the unscrupulous, strong, fierce warrior who denied his inner self could be so gentle and caring, loving even.

Carefully, he reached out his hand and softly caressed his children's cheeks, one after the other, touching them as if they were made of the most expensive, fragile china ever fabricated. 

"Welcome to this world, little ones", he said tenderly, a content smile on his lips, "Welcome, Tabris and Caya… Strife…"

**Epilogue: The last fragment**

"Teef? Hey Teef, here's somebody who needs to you!" Yuffie said, while running up to Tifa's room, holding little Tabris in her arms.

On top of the small child's head, there was fluffy, thin malt blond hair, and if you got the chance to look into his eyes, you would notice that they were a shade nice shade of hazelnut brown mingled with deep crimson. 

Just in contrast to his sister. Little Caya had her mother's dark hair – even though it was not that thick yet – and her father's blue eyes, which were not as radiant as Cloud's though because of the lack of Mako.

Right now, however, not only Tabris' eyes were red, but also the area around them, as he was crying loudly, wordlessly demanding for his mother.

Yuffie rocked the small child while entering Tifa's room after a short knock.

The young woman had heard her son cry from afar, and was aware of what he longed for. At the most unfitting moment though.

"I guess he's hungry again, huh?" the young Ninja asked, while handing Tifa the child. She had grown very fond of not only him but also his little sister. Most of her time, she spent playing with the kids or watching Tifa nurse them, which was actually a large help for the young parents.

"Ya, seems like it", Tifa sighed, smiling before she pulled up her undershirt and started feeding the boy, who immediately stopped crying as he drank solemnly. "The little guy obviously inherited someone's sense for appearing in the wrong moment…" she added, smiling down at Tabris.

"Definitely…" Yuffie chuckled, casting a look at the white dress placed on the large bed at the other end of the room. Today was the 'big day'.

It had been planned for months – actually since the birth of the twins. Cloud had wanted to marry her as soon as possible, but she had wanted to wait until she would have gotten more or less used to her life, till the kids were old enough, and, for sure, until her body had regained the same form it had had before the pregnancy.

Which actually had happened sooner than she had ever expected. Possibly because she was even busier now then before, busier with changing diapers, feeding, cleaning…

She let out a small sigh, though still smiling down at her son. 

Yet no matter how much work the twins might cause, how much stress and hurry, she would never want to change a single thing. The twins were the best 'thing' that had ever happened to her.

And to Cloud, certainly.

He was a very proud father. And nothing could ever describe his feelings better than the look on his face when Tabris and Caya had smiled for the first time.

It might simply have been Tifa's imagine, though she believed to have seen unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind.

"Where, by the way, is Caya?" she asked Yuffie, gazing up from the small child to look her in the eyes.

The teenager grinned in reply.

"She's downstairs. Having a little crawling race with Marlene."

Tifa chuckled. Caya was definitely the more active one of the two. She used to crawl around, looking into bags that were standing on the floor, never wanting to sleep, just always being curious.

Tabris was somewhat unlike her. He liked just lying on his back and 'taking in his surroundings' – as far as that was possible at the age of 7 months – and slept a lot. He seemed to be more quiet. It was as if he always had something on his mind, as if he was always thinking about something.

Carefully, she let her shirt back down and handed Yuffie the now sleeping child.

"Seems like he's had enough", slightly sighing, she got up and walked over to the bed, picking up the dress and eyeing it nervously. "Just in time for me to start to get changed, I think."

Yuffie grinned, excitedly. "Yay! The time's finally come! I'll send up immediately, okay?"

After a small nod from Tifa, the young ninja rushed downstairs as soon as possible with the child in her arms, hardly being able to contain her anticipation. 

***

"You okay?"

"I don't think so…"

"You're just nervous, that's completely normal."

"Ya, I think…"

Cloud Strife had stopped pacing the room and now stood in front of the mirror, critically eyeing his reflection.

"I almost forgot how much I hate wearing suits…"

With a deep, unsatisfied sigh, he started to straighten out his jacket and trousers, only to remain pacing the room afterwards.

"Hey buddy, just stop it, okay? You're drivin' me nuts!" Cid yelled from the other side of the room, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "I don't see why you're that outta you're mind. I mean, it's not like this is any harder or more important than like the fight against insane Sephi!"

Cloud slightly growled and shot him a piercing look.

"You wait till your own wedding and then say it again…"

"Okay okay…", Cid replied, raising his hands defensively, "no need to kill me just cuz of that… Maybe I rather leave ya alone now."

Shaking his head, he got up and left the room, abandoning the soon-to-be-married young man.

Walking down the corridor, if you came close enough, you could hear Cid mutter under his breath.

"Those young people nowadays… can't take nothing…"

***

Cyra ran her fingers through Tifa's hair one final time, adjusting the thin, long strands of silk worked in the thick raven hair.

Smiling, Tifa got up and swirled around in her dress, making it flow around her.

The young beauty wore a champagne-white colored dress that touched the floor, being about 3 feet longer in the back so that it gently swept over the floor. It was completely made of silk, the upper part leaving her shoulders bare so that her thick raven hair, which was slightly curled up, fell upon them. The skirt had a bell-like form with small diameter.

And although the dress was plain and simple silk, without any decorations, it simply looked stunning, contemplating her natural beauty.

"So, how do I look?" she asked, honestly interested in the other's opinions.

Her apprentice just smiled, nodding approvingly.

Yuffie gave her a thumbs-up and grinned.

"Like a goddess. You sure you wanna go out there like this?" she asked, smiling devilishly. 

Tifa shot her an uneasy look, wondering what could be so wrong about her appearance.

"W-what? Why n-not?"

The teenage girl laughed in return, reassuringly putting a hand on the bride's bare shoulder.

"I'm just afraid that Cloud will forget to say the two magic words as soon as he sees you like that."

Tifa chuckled softly, friendly hugging the girl.

"Thank you so much, I really needed that…"

Obviously, the first signs of nervousness were finally kicking in…

***

Cloud was standing in front of the minister, the crowd behind him talking lowly, in anticipation. Although the two of them had planned a small wedding, it had turned out rather big in the end. Not too big for the garden of their house in Kalm, though, fortunately.

It was a nice, warm early autumn day, the sun gently shining down on them.

Yet Cloud barely noticed his surroundings. He could not even think.

His hands were shaking, his lips quivering as he waited for his fiancée to arrive.

With a nervous, nonetheless loving smile, he gazed over at the twins sitting in the first row with Shera and Vincent. His children seemed to give him a certain reassurance, keeping him from fainting at the spot.

All of a sudden, a murmur went through the crowd as all the heads turned backwards.

And there she was. His Tifa. A goddess. 

At once, his universe shrank to just him and her, he did not realize anything that happened around them. All he could think about was her, and how perfect she was for him. The realization of how much he loved her struck him once again, and he almost forgot to breathe at the thought that they would finally belong to each other. That she was really his, and he was hers.

While she was walking up to him, lead by Barret, her dress, contrasting with her beautiful raven hair, flowing behind her, he could not take his eyes off her.

The way she smiled at him made his knees weak, and suddenly he was the little boy again, the same little boy who used to sit under Tifa's window with the hope to get a glimpse at her. Even though she seemed too far away from him, way out of reach. Back then, he had dreamed about what it would be like to be with her. Yet he had always considered her an object of admiration. Like a shimmering star up in the nightly sky, way out of reach. Something you admired from afar, but never got close to.

But now, he had reached his aim. He was literally in heaven, right next to his beautiful, graceful shining star.

Just two more words, and she would be his. Forever.

_He looks downright handsome, she thought. _

She had to chuckle about the expression on his face. It reminded her so much of the little Cloud in the streets of Nibelheim, looking up at her window, blushing furiously when she caught him spying on her. 

Not that she had ever disliked it. She could not exactly tell when she had fallen in love with him. The feeling had just always been there, though most likely not recognized as love by children. She had never been able to imagine a life without Cloud. Even when he had left for Midgar to become a SOLDIER, she had always felt somewhat connected to him. Even though he had been thousands of miles away.

It didn't matter.

At night, she had used to gaze up at the stars, hoping he would be doing the same, looking at the same stars, and thinking about her.

He had always been on her mind, always with her, no matter where she had been, or what she had been doing. She had possibly felt alone at times, yet never lonely.

And from today on, she would never be alone anymore either.

It just needed those two words…

"I do…" Cloud said, his voice quivery, while he smiled at his Tifa.

With shaky fingers, they exchanged the rings – pure, platinum bands with ruby and shining blue lines in them – time almost standing still at the sight of the happy couple.

"You may now kiss the bride." They heard the minister proclaim happily before they finally gave in to each other.

For the very first time, they were not only emotionally one but they also belonged to each other. They were finally inseparably united. 

In the background, the crowd was cheering, clapping, and even some laughs could be heard at how passionately the newlyweds were kissing. 

They were lost in the moment, never wanting it to end, never wanting to let go of each other. They simply wanted to exist for each other.

However, there was somebody who was not pleased about that thought and immediately started proclaiming their opinion and making their presence known.

Tabris and Caya, the twins, had started crying loudly.

All Cloud and Tifa could do was laugh.

_Somehow, they always found the 'right' moment…_

The End (Finished: Wednesday, 09 October 2002)

_a/n__: Yay! It's finally done! I can't believe it. It's kinda 10 minutes past __midnight__ right now and I'm actually supposed to get up early tomorrow to go to college, but once I started writing, I just couldn't stop. I wrote the whole last part without any pause! Thank my new very own apartment everybody^_^ _

_I hope you all like the last part, and I'd be glad to get some comments/reviews. You know, we authors mainly write for the pleasure of others (and for sure because we like writing, and the incredible feeling of finishing a story that we wrote ourselves)._

_Anywayz, please read and review, please! And if any of you want a sequel (like about Cloud and Teef dealing with the kids, or stories about the kids themselves when they're a lil older), or if you would like any scenes that you've missed in those story, just let me know, and I'll do what I can. I also accept challenges, everybody! So if you got a nice challenge, just let me know^_^_

_Btw, how do you like the names of the twins? Tabris and Caya? Caya's been on my mind for quite some time, but it took rather long to decide on a name for the boy. Well, the name Tabris just came to my mind (yes, it is Kaoru Nagisa's name as an angel in Neon Genesis) and I like it, so I just chose it. Plus it think that it's some sort of nice side effect that their names start with 'T' and 'C' just like 'Cloud' and 'Tifa'. Oh well, enough about the author's notes, I really gotta go to bed now__L I don't wanna…_

_Oh well, I'll just go on writing tomorrow, I still got lots of unfinished stuff on my laptop^_^_

_Love y'all! And thanx in advance for reviewing^_^_

_P.S.: I'm sorry if all of this is totally corny and cliché, and seems somewhat too sappy sometimes, but it's just hard for a person (namely me) who has never been held or kissed or anything else by someone she loves and vice versa to write what it feels like to be held or kissed. I know it sounds pathetic, especially considering my age, but it's nothing but the truth. I'm sorry. I actually wish I could, but I can't promise that I'll improve that part about me._

_And to all of those of you out there who are with their boyfriends and girlfriends, the ones they love: cherish every single second, and seize it. Trust me, you don't know what you've got till it's gone. You're lucky, very lucky. Though you might not realize it yourselves._


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